Psalm 13:4-5 “How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look upon me, answer me, Lord, my God! Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death, Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,” lest my foes rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bountifully with me!” Today's episode talks about how hard it is to keep hope alive when it feels like our answers have gone on unanswered for so long. It talks about how we need God to hold us and to let us know it will be ok because sometimes we are running out of hope. Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Catch Me When I Fall
Psalm 13:4-5 “How long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I carry sorrow in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look upon me, answer me, Lord, my God! Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death, Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed,” lest my foes rejoice at my downfall. But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bountifully with me!”
The theme for mentoring this month is “How Long, Lord?” I chose this title because I know so many people who are suffering right now and who have been for quite some time. They have been sick for so long, and they can’t see an end in sight. Some have been going through struggles with their family, and they can’t see a resolution. It feels like things might always be like this. Many I know are struggling with a prodigal child, and they are waiting for them to come home, but feel like it may never happen.
In today’s verse, David addresses this same sentiment. It begins with “How Long, Lord? Will you utterly forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? How much I carry in my soul, grief in my heart day after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me?” I am sure that is exactly what my friends who are suffering are asking the Lord. I am sure they are struggling to understand why they are still suffering, what the purpose is, and when they will be through it. In mentoring this month, each week, I am going to examine a song that deals with these exact feelings. I really like music; it speaks right to my soul. I also like to use songs because you can always go back to them and listen to them and hopefully they will bring you comfort.
"When I Fall" by Katy Nichole is a song written out of desperation, reflecting a time when Nichole felt mentally, spiritually, and physically drained. She describes the song as a desperate prayer, expressing her exhaustion with trying to be "okay" and her desire to be honest with God. I think this is great. We should all be honest with God. I don’t know why we think we can hide things from Him. He is all-knowing. That thing you are too afraid to tell Him about, He already knows. That thing you don’t want to bother Him with, He already knows. There isn’t anything we can hide from God. Here are the lyrics for the song:
Lord, I can't find You right now
And everything is crashin' down
I'm losin' faith and fallin' into my doubts
How long will I have to fight
Just for me to stay alive?
This is a true and honest song. This is something that I know those who suffer with chronic pain are asking the Lord. I am sure at times we all wonder where God is. We wonder why He is letting us go through the things we are going through, and when He is going to pull us out of it. It is hard to keep having faith and fighting, not to let our doubts get the best of us when we are so tired from all the fighting we have already done.
I know You're there, God, please
Just meet me here tonight
My God, I'm tired of tryna be okay
I've prayed all the prayers I have to pray
Please don't leave me lonely
My God, I need You to hold me
This is the desperate plea of so many of us. We know God is there. We just need Him to hold us, even if it’s just for a minute. We are all tired of trying to be okay. We are tired of having to pretend to everyone that we are ok. One of my favorite sayings is, “It’s ok to not be ok.” I wish more people knew this. I wish more people would speak out and let others know they are not ok. I know so many people who seem so happy on the outside and yet are not ok on the inside. This world is a lonely place. Which may seem weird, as there are so many ways to keep in touch with friends and family. However, a lot of the relationships we have these days are superficial. We “like” or “love” people’s posts on social media, but we aren’t reaching out and having meaningful conversations. And, if we are being honest, we probably aren’t making posts that accurately reflect how we feel inside or what life is like on a day-to-day basis.
My God, I'm losin' all the hope I got
I'm far beyond the point of bein' lost
I've tried, but I can't let go
'Cause God, You catch me when I fall
You catch me when I fall
This is like so many I know. They don’t want to lose their hope, but it is hard day after day when it feels like their prayers aren’t being answered. When you look around, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to find God. What is really good is that she knows that God will be there to catch her when she falls. If she can let go of all that she thinks is supporting her and holding her up, and just fully surrender to God, then He will catch her. He will always be there to catch us when we fall.
There's hardly air in my lungs
With all the damage that's been done
Lord, please sustain me now
I know You are enough
My God, I'm tired of tryna be okay
I've prayed all the prayers I have to pray
Please don't leave me lonely
My God, I need You to hold me
The thing to remember about God is that He can repair the damage that is done. We think we need God to act now, before it is too late. However, it is never too late for God. God can replace your damaged lungs. He can repair your kidneys. He can do whatever needs to be done. God is our provision. He is our rock. Katy says in the song that she knows God is enough and is asking Him to sustain her. He will sustain you, too. I know it may feel like you just can’t keep your head above water right now. God’s got you. He is your arm float. He will not let you drown. He hears your prayers.
The last line of today’s verse says, “But I trust in your mercy. Grant my heart joy in your salvation, I will sing to the Lord, for he has dealt bountifully with me!” Sometimes we need to sing to the Lord before the breakthrough. Sometimes we need to thank God for all the unseen work He is doing. Praising when we don’t feel like we can will actually make us feel better, and it will make the enemy flee. Praising can lift us up out of the darkness, even if it is only for a little while. David was asking the Lord to give him joy in his heart. He was asking for the Lord’s help. We can do the same.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode. Lord, you are so good. Help us to remember that when we feel lost in our own pain or our own troubles. Help us to remember how good you are. Lord, help us to remember you do catch us when we fall. Help us to remember you never leave our side. Lord, we need you to come and let us know you are here with us. We love you so much, and we need you now, Lord. Help us to hang in there, help us to never give up hope. Please provide us with the strength and provision we need for today Lord. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. If you love this podcast and want more, join me in mentoring and see how much more there is to learn. How much deeper you can go. The Lord is calling you closer. Will you answer his call? I look forward to seeing you here again tomorrow. Remember Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in October 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “I call you each by name, my children. I invite you constantly to come to me. The more you come, the more I will reveal my secrets. You will know the deeper things in life.”