An amazing life even in the midst of a bad week!

 

I have some laser projects I have been working on the past several days that just haven't been fun! It may seem like a minor deal to you, but for a man trying to raise money for ministry and someone who is constantly striving for "perfection," it has been stressful! I just can't figure out the right settings, and it has been tedious work. I have been whining and complaining about it all week. (poor Stephanie!) I am guessing most of you can relate to this kind of week. and probably a whole lot worse! If you are not facing a "bad" week this week, you have faced bad weeks in the past, and I am guessing you will face bad weeks in the future. Yet, I still get up every day and think THIS IS THE DAY that will be better.  I can get into bed at night, tired and stressed over the day, knowing that tomorrow is another day! That only happens because of God, not me! Today, as I continue a brief survey of the early Psalms, I read Psalm 8. How can you NOT have a great day after reading this Psalm:

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: all the flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, the birds of the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8, NIV)

As a kid growing up, I knew this verse in the NIV. I just can't read it in any other translation because it flows so wonderfully! I love this Psalm. I am sitting here in the meeting place early on Friday Morning, March 15th, 2024. I am hearing the traffic outside as people scramble to work and a fire truck just raced by my window. But, in between the world of hustle and bustle, I can hear the birds of spring outside my window. Even with the noise of downtown traffic, I get a sense of peace and the presence of the Lord. Can you feel his presence even in the midst of your bad week? A bad week with the Lord is a million times better than a good week without Him!

As I am sitting here thinking about Psalm 8, I am wondering how people get through a single day without the Lord by their side. How can they deal with the chaos of deadlines, sixty-hour work weeks, difficult bosses, sick kids, worries about finances, and broken relationships? The list could go on and on! How can they live a moment of life without the Lord? The God that created the universe, the God that is madly in love with you, the God that placed his entire creation under your feet, the God that crowns you with glory and honor, the God that came to earth and died for you, wants to walk right by your side as you go through your bad weeks! And if things really get bad, he not only walks beside you, HE is willing to carry you when you think you can't walk another step!

Even in the bad weeks, I have a pretty amazing life, and I know where that life comes from. That life comes as a pure gift from the Lord. Life with the Lord is always amazing. The GOOD NEWS? We haven't even seen the best of it! If you commit your life to Him, there is more of an amazing life waiting for you in eternity! Praise God, from whom all blessings flow! Praise Him, all creatures here below! Praise Him above, ye heavenly host! Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! AMEN!