Scripture: Psalm 61:2 – “From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I…” (NRSVue)
I am not sure exactly where we got this notion, but for most people up is good and down is bad. For example, when we are sad, we say that we are down: down in the dumps, down in the mouth, down in the doldrums. However, when are happy, we use the word up: looking up, upbeat, etc.
But up and down are not just directions, they are locations, and it requires work to move from one to the other. When are feel down, it is usually for a reason, and that reason does not go away just because we want to be happy. Our troubles weigh us down, sometimes so much that we cannot breathe.
But when our challenges and sadness hold us down, we have someone to lead us upwards towards joy. The Bible often speaks of God as a rock or a fortress. God protects us from all the things that threaten us in life. But when we are down, that fortress seems far away.
But God leads us there anyway. God is not just our destination, but our guide. As the Psalmist wrote, “From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” We need that God who not only calls us upward but guides us and holds our hands when all the things that bring us down appear.
Pray to God, and the Lord of love will lift you up from any situation.
Prayer: Dear Lord, lift me up and lead me up to you and your salvation. Amen.
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