Knowing how to get started reading the Bible can be tricky. But donโt get discouraged! No matter how far youโve come in your faith, everyone has struggled with reading the Bible at some point. Thatโs why we put together some Scripture meditations like this one to help you get started.
Stuck in Sadness
Soโฆ youโve had a bad week.ย
Maybe a customer cussed you out. Maybe your friends are busy, and thereโs no one to hang out withโฆagain. Maybe the suffering and injustice on your cityโs streets leave you with a heavy heart.
The world feels lonely and bitter sometimes. And when weโre stuck in that feeling, itโs easy to focus on getting unstuck. We find some fun distractions (helloo, internet!) and escape sadnessโฆfor a while.
No one likes to feel upset with no clear โfix.โ Yet, the Bible makes a lot of space for those โsitting in sadnessโ vibes.ย
Join us as we sit in one of those spaces in Psalms:
Psalm 55:6-8
6 I said, โOh, that I had the wings of a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.
7 I would flee far awayย
and stay in the desert;
8 I would hurry to my place of shelter,ย
far from the tempest and storm.โ
Observations from the Text
- Sometimes, life leaves us tired out (v. 6)
- We donโt always want to stick around and resolve issues (v. 7)
- In a distressing situation, we often want to escape (v. 8)
- God hears us and strengthens us when we feel this way (see v. 22)
Prayers of Response
God, my shelter, thank you for sitting with me in ________.
Lord, you see how upset I am about ________. I feel like I canโt deal with it anymore.
Prayer Requests
Nurturing God, please direct me as I face ________ yet again.
Jesus, I have no idea how to fix ________, but I know you can. In your perfect way, keep making all things new.
Prayers of Readiness
God who weeps with us, today I share my sadness with you. I donโt want to keep pretending itโs no big deal.
When I meet others who are feeling too overwhelmed by ________, give me words to tell them about your caring presence.
Reading the Bible through Scripture meditations can be an easy way of connecting with God each day. For more Scripture meditations, visit this page!
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Versionยฎ, NIVยฎ. Copyright ยฉ 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.โข Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The โNIVโ and โNew International Versionโ are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.โข
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