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For troubles surround me—too many to count! They pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They are more numerous than the hairs on my head. I have lost all my courage.
—Psalm 40:12
In his depression, David had obviously reached a point of such despair that he was sure his troubles numbered more than the hairs of his head. Paul was in a similar position in the battles he faced in Asia. “I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it” (2 Corinthians 1:8). Even in that kind of pressure, Paul found a secret that sustained him. He discovered God as the “source of every mercy and the God who comforts us” (2 Corinthians 1:3). When God comforts us and shows us His mercy, it has a double effect: we learn to rely more on Him, and others learn from our deliverance. We can never totally identify with others until we have walked their paths, and God will use our troubles to become a testimony to others in need. Lift up your head and let the God of all comfort minister to you right now. Then “many will give thanks” (2 Corinthians 1:11) to God on your behalf, and God will be glorified in it all.
Suggested Reading:
Job 20:1-22:30 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 Psalm 40:11-17 Proverbs 22:2-4