Bible Study, Dt. 26:7

Last night I suddenly felt down. I call it "in a funk." But maybe that's an old-fashioned term. Anyway, my beautiful, wonderful wife thought I was angry at her. I can understand why she thought that--in spite of my protestations that how I felt did not come from anything she said or did. If anything, she usually tries too hard to keep me upbeat.

I just felt a weight on me. And often of late, I have asked myself this question. More to the point, I have asked the Lord this question: "How long, O Lord?" When will I come out of this up-and-down process?

I realize that some fluxuation of emotions is normal. Everyone experiences it. I don't think that's what I'm experiencing. It seems sometimes like a light-switch suddenly turns OFF. And inside, everything goes dark. Emotionally I suddenly feel like I'm in a fog out at sea without a clue of how to get back to shore.

Fortunately, I'm starting to get back to shore more quickly than I have in the past. Formerly, I could remain in that fog--that funk--for days. But by bedtime last night, I was already saying to myself, "You've got to move beyond this. There's nothing there in the fog."

Well, all of that was kind of a prelude to the verse I highlighted in my Bible study this morning. Deuteronomy 26:7, "We cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression."

Later in the same chapter, verses 18 & 19, I read, "The Lord has declared this day that you are his people, his treasured possession as he promised.... He has declared that he will set you in praise, fame and honor... and that you will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised."

Well, I don't need or want the fame. But I wish/pray that God would set me as a source of praise, fame and honor for Him.

I guess that's it for today.