Is He With Me

Day 31 of Lenten Devotional Series

Proverbs 28:26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

For years I operated by what psychology would term "emotional reasoning." My emotions, particularly the negative ones, ran the show. If I felt horrible about one of my music performances, I believed it was a fact that my performance was horrible, with no room for other opinions. If I felt unwanted by friends, I was convinced they indeed didn't want me around, when maybe they were just distracted, stressed, or dealing with struggles of their own.

Our human relationships aren't the only place we place too much dependence on our feelings. How often do we think God is ignoring us because we can't "feel" Him? How many times have we believed we have no hope left because we feel only a state of hopelessness?

"Don't believe everything you think." 

This Lent I give up relying on feelings for confirmation. I relinquish being controlled by fickle emotions. I choose to remember that God is with me and is for me, even when I don't feel Him anywhere near.

Is He With Me?

"Is He with me?" I sometimes plea

when I don't feel Him close to me.

He's with me when my heart rings praise

of joys that cannot be contained.

He's with me when the tears won't cease,

when my soul groans and wails for peace.

When disappointment clouds my view,

still then, I know, He's with me too.

He's with me when my anger burns,

when stinging bitter pain returns.

When my shattered heart won't mend,

He picks the pieces up again.

I look back and then I see

always, always, He's with me.