Psalm 143
Answer me quickly, Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.

Small Miracles
My spirit fails. The Hebrew word for fails used here is to be at an end, finished, hopeless. David was in this place, going into the pit. 

Depression and mental illness are real. I know how David felt. I have been in the pit. Many Christians suffer from mental illness and darkness of the soul. David, characterized by God as a man after His own heart, was, in this psalm, desperate and hopeless.

David goes to God and lays out his soul. “Show me the way I should go…let the morning bring word of your unfailing love.” Please help me, God!

We serve a practical God. Yes, the Bible is full of stunning miracles - healings, the exodus and ultimately, Jesus’ death and resurrection. But God also performs miracles in the daily routine occurrences of our lives.  

For some, trusting God to provide is like running a marathon. Taking off at the starting line is like getting out of bed. The first mile, taking a shower. The race continues and we reach for the phone to call a friend. We don’t want to do any of this!  Finding a therapist, showing up for sessions, looking for a doctor when necessary, submitting to treatment, these are daunting tasks. Heartbreak hill – hanging on.  

It’s all God. Small, beautiful and stunning miracles. And the foundation is God’s church, His people, who live to serve and care for us, a string of miracles born in the very ordinariness of life. It’s all God. 

Many don’t know what being down in the pit means. In struggling to hold onto hope, we have a God who knows, who sees, who understand and He will act. David, Elijah, Job, Martin Luther, Charles Spurgeon, Mother Theresa to name a few are among the saints who knew depression and darkness of the soul. We are in good company. 

I thank God that FCCH is a safe place for the afflicted of body and mind, God’s people, ready, willing and able to stand in the gap for a brother or sister, to be a friend, give advice and pray with us. Thank you, my brothers and sisters, for all the small miracles you’ve done for me and my family. I can’t count them. May today be a day of hope, even in the face of despair. Reach out – God’s people are waiting. God is ready to act. 

May you, gracious Lord, Creator, Provider, All-Powerful and All-wise God, continue to give us the unimaginable love of Christ, our Savior, Friend and Lover of Souls. Stir up our hearts as we take care of each other and call on your matchless Name. May you, the astounding God of hope, act today in miraculous ways. Amen. 

                                                               Laurie McDonough