Bad Day to Good

“I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.” (Psalm 13:6 CSB)

David either had a day that started badly and got worse or was going through a doleful time. He began Psalm 13 by saying to God, “How long will You continually forget me? How long will You hide Your face from me?” Have you ever had days when you felt that way? David was feeling forgotten by God. Anxiety ruled, and his enemies dominated him. Everybody seemed to have the upper hand but him. So, things were not going so well for David, and he pleaded with God to consider and answer and restore him.

The lesson is in the progress here. The first four verses of the psalm described the situation. Then, verse five looks to the past, “But I have trusted in Your faithful love.” David remembered how blessed he had been. Then, in the same verse he turns to the future, “My heart will rejoice in Your deliverance.” He goes on to then say in verse six, “I will sing to the Lord because He has treated me generously.”

What we see here is a journey of faith. It began with an acknowledgement of the situation and David’s feelings about seemingly being forgotten by the Lord. Then, it turned to the past to remember how blessed he was. Then, it turned to the future to express faith and confidence in what God would do.

When we go through a day that is not going so well, or through a period that feels rather down, we need to remember that a journey of faith will take us through the tunnel. A journey of faith considers and identifies the present circumstances, it looks to the past to count blessings, and then it moves intentionally toward the future that God has in store for us.

Lord, Guide us today on this journey of faith. Amen.