We’ve been there — feeling so low we can’t imagine anything being worse, feeling like we’ve got both feet in the pit, like there is no one around to help us. The psalmist cries out from the depths of Sheol, the place of the dead. But strangely, in the middle of pain, agony, and depression, this is a psalm of thanksgiving. “I will extol you, O Lord,” the psalmist begins. “Extol” may be the perfect word for such an occasion; it means “to lift up.” The psalmist is lifting up the name of God just as God lifts the psalmist up from the pit.

With God, even the darkest night becomes a joyful morning. When things seem to be at their worst, God has the power to turn our sadness into dancing and clothe us with joy. Those images are so powerful, even during times of hardship.

What makes you want to dance for God? What does being “clothed with joy” look like for you? How does that change your approach to hardship?

by Chris Cherry from d365.org