You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.

(Ps 63.1-8)

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; he sets up salvation as walls and bulwarks, open the gates, that the righteous nation that keeps faith may enter in.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock… In the path of your judgements, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul.

(Isa 26.1-4, 7&8)

Last week, I wrote very honestly about the weariness and apathy of my spirit, but now I want to remind myself – and you, my readers – of what God’s people have always done as they walk through hard times. They remember, calling to mind the ways that they have seen God working and fighting to regain perspective on reality. Yes, there are many hard things to face: we have concerns about our own spiritual lives, our health and security: we have cares for our families and friends: we see things that undermine our communities and our nation and for all these, we are burdened.

But there are also many things which are good, which show God’s abundant care and divine sovereignty over the power of evil; there are many reasons to persevere and trust in his loving providence.  If, like me, you are prone to looking on the gloomy side of life, the process of realigning your thinking to focus on the positive can feel difficult, and even dishonest. But the evidence of scripture and of thousands of years of God’s people living faithfully, is that this is the best way to deal with the evil one when he tries to bind us in the dungeon of despair, or keep us in byways of introspection and apathy.

So what am I giving thanks for? God’s faithfulness over the 9 months of our time without work, without much idea of the future, living almost day-to-day – our marriage has survived, we have made new friends and had time to rest deeply, so that we enter this new chapter refreshed. God’s timing for us in all of this has been perfect. Our family has seen blessings in the arrival of a new grandchild, the provision of work, places to live, faith sustained and bonds strengthened. There are young people committed to living for Jesus today whom it was our privilege to share life with during their teenage years. And, through all the difficult times of these last months, I have always known that I was held tight in the arms of my Father God, have never felt abandoned or betrayed, and perhaps I have learnt in new ways just what it means to live in His strength, not my own. God is my help, He always has been, and I trust, He always will be. I can sing, because I am within the shelter of his wings.

By all means, be honest with God (He knows your heart anyway!), but then be willing to start counting your blessings, looking at your reasons to be thankful – large and small – and emulate the example of God’s children in receiving God’s providential care with songs of praise.

*This is actually the title of an old and lovely song with many versions, which expresses that desire to honour and respond to God’s faithfulness in a fitting way. I invite you to look it up on the internet and sing along!

My life flows on in endless song; above earth’s lamentation,
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn that hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife, I hear that music ringing;
It finds an echo in my soul— how can I keep from singing?

What though my joys and comforts die? I know my Saviour liveth;
What though the darkness gather round? Songs in the night He giveth.

No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that Rock I’m clinging;
Since Christ is Lord of heav’n and earth, how can I keep from singing?

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing!
All things are mine since I am His— how can I keep from singing?

(R Lowry, 1869)