
Scripture: Psalm 42:4
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
Thought for the Day: In a time of difficulty and sadness, the author of the Psalm remembers back to a time when the Israelites gathered in the house of God for worship. What do you remember when life is difficult? I’m not suggesting that you break into song like Julie Andrews did in the Sound of Music, “…these are a few of my favorite things.” Simply remembering happy times doesn’t immediately take away the struggles of the present, but I do think they remind us of the ongoing cycle of life. When we remember back to a happier time, those happier times probably came after some other time of sadness. It doesn’t necessarily change a person’s perspective, but it sure gives a glimmer of what is possible. It allows the person to say, “Maybe, just maybe, I will be happy again.”
Prayer: Be present to me, O God, through the broad spectrum of emotions and experiences that life provides. Amen.
