"Lows"

 I see the sky is changing,

Today it’s shades of gray,

Later could be showers,

And that will be okay.

And we can use the moisture,

For all that tries to grow,

Though rain affects my feelings,

The dark clouds make me low.

I shouldn’t let it happen,

The weather shouldn’t be,

The thing that makes a difference,

With ups and downs, you see.

When I get that emotion,

So dark and sad and gray,

I’m learning that the thing to do,

Is go to God and pray.

Just tell Him what I’m feelin’,

Though He already knows,

And cast on Him the burden,

When I get the lows.

The Psalmist said he traveled,

In that dark valley, too,

There with death’s old shadow,

But point is, he went through.

He didn’t stop and linger,

Or make himself a camp,

But kept right on a-goin’,

God’s Word served as his lamp.

And if we choose to praise Him,

No matter how we feel,

The peace that He will give us,

Is powerful and real.

How we feel does matter,

But what matters even more,

Is what we choose and what we do,

And prayer opens the door,

To what the Lord has planned for us,

No matter rain or shine,

So when the dark clouds gather,

Call on Him every time.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything…” (Philippians 4:6, NLT)

Some say, “when all else fails, pray.” But why wait till then? Why not immediately go the Lord with everything that bothers us? Wouldn’t that be better? I’m not saying I always get this right. I sometimes find myself down or worried or stressed out before I even know it! But it’s infinitely better to turn to the Lord with every concern and simply say, “Lord, help me.” If that becomes our habit and our spiritual strategy, we will find a peace and contentment we’ve never had before.

Lord, help us to turn from worry and turn everything over to You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, jacksorensonfineart.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.