Day 1999 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Psalm 31:7 NIV

Britt Nicole shared this one earlier today and I thought it was perfect to go along with what we talked about yesterday. We need to look to God above and before everything else. He is our source of all that we need, and He generously provides for us every day. And He does all of it out of His endless and unchanging love for us. So why would we ever hope to find that kind of mercy anywhere else? Why would we try?

Life can be a pretty solitary adventure at times. No matter how many people we have around us, we still go through things that leave us feeling lonely. We all go through things that others might not know about, and that they definitely may not understand. But through it all. God's there and He gets it. He sees our hurting and understands our struggles. He knows what we're going through and the most amazing part is that He genuinely cares.

All too often I think we don't reach out and ask for help because we don't want to seem weak. We don't want others to think less of us. We don't want them to know our secrets and see all the scars life has left. We don't want them to feel sorry for us or look at us differently than they used to. Or maybe we just don't want to be a burden and ask for others to pay attention to us when we know that they're dealing with plenty on their end.

So we can easily lock ourselves into these lonely little cages and think that we have to face everything on our own. We don't ask for help for whatever reason, and in doing so, we're left to face it on our own strength. And we can all agree that our own strength is rarely enough to get through the battles that life brings our way. But still, we choose to do it that way because it seems easier or less embarrassing. But friends, it doesn't need to be that way.

It's okay to not be okay. It's normal to struggle and have problems. We all do. It doesn't make us weak or pathetic. It doesn't mean that we're being punished or need to punish ourselves. It's just part of life, so it doesn't need to become this crutch or excuse. Again, even if nobody else would understand, we need to always remember that God does. Even if we don't want to lay it all out there before someone else, we need to understand that God's already aware of it. So there's no point in hiding or locking ourselves in shame.

As we talked about yesterday, our joy is found in God. His forgiveness, His love, His mercy, His understanding, His provision are things that we can always lean on. And since He's unchanging and His love for us is unending, then we can always look to Him when we have nowhere else to turn. We can always count on God to be everything we need, because He truly is! There's just no room for shame, regret, embarrassment, hiding, or anything else. His love is bigger and stronger than all of those!

Nothing and nobody has ever promised an easy life. And if you've read through pretty much any of the Bible, you'll know that the stories it shares prove that life isn't smooth and simple for anyone. It's rough. It's hard. It's scary, and sad, and nerve-wracking. But the most important fact is also one that resounds through every story in that Word: God is with us. He loves us and understands that we need Him. So why not take it all to Him and trust Him to sort it out? Why live in this world of anger or sadness when joy and freedom are there for the taking?

I just wanted you guys to know that God gets it. He has seen it all, understands it all, and can help with it all. Don't let anything keep you separated from Him. Don't let your past mistakes or current struggles convince you that you've gotta go it alone. You don't. He's there and He really does have anything and everything you need to keep going. When we make God our focus and foundation, then nothing will ever be able to break us. So lean on His goodness, He's got more than enough!