This morning I was awakened at 6 AM by an eerie sound. I didn’t have my hearing aids in, so I promptly got up to look out the window. I could barely see beyond the glass. The air was stifled with what looked like a chemical gas. I thought for a second that the world was ending. It turned out to be a dewpoint of 80 degrees. This along with wildfire smoke had inundated the air creating an ominous atmosphere. Days like this are rare in the Midwest, but we seem to be blessed with many of them this year. In a few months we’ll be complaining about freezing temperatures and heavy snow. It’s funny how our minds can look at things in a bad light before realizing what’s actually happening.

I checked the news and discovered what was going on. The air temperature was the same as the dew point, which caused this heavy fog. The fires in Canada and our western United States added to the disconcerting view out my window. I went back to bed since there was no reason to get up and go outside.

Taking a negative look at things can easily bring us down. We tell ourselves that life stinks – that we haven’t got anything to look forward to. We don’t have the energy to do what we used to. We have no purpose left in this world. We’re tired of the noise of the world. We get discouraged. Life can be the pits sometimes. There are days we don’t even want to get up and face another day. We think God has abandoned us. We give up. However, the Bible tells us not to be afraid or discouraged.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9

Over and over, we read these words in scripture.  They must be important if so much emphasis is placed on them. God also tells us that our life isn’t always going to be a bed of roses. The discouragement is real; the suffering doesn’t always simply go away. The real encouragement comes in knowing that God is the same today, yesterday and tomorrow. He will never give up on us, even though we sometimes might give up on Him. Even in our darkest hours, we can be confident that we are not walking this planet alone.  Jesus is right at our side, guiding and guarding each step that we take. Though everything around us may be falling apart, we are walking through this battle with the King of Creation!

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!