We can all get despondent from time to time. It can happen after we’ve had a great success or victory. Or it can be caused by other people hurting or disappointing us. Or it might be because of a change in our life circumstances, perhaps losing a job or a relationship not working out. We can also feel that way when we don’t get enough rest, proper food, and exercise. We get run down and burned out. Jesus said that Satan comes to ‘steal and kill and destroy’ (John 10:10 NIV). Our peace of mind, joy, and hope for the future can all be stolen from us. But God wants us to experience those things again. And we can. The thing we need to remember is, whatever has caused our despondency, it’s normal to feel that way for a while. But the good news is that we don’t have to stay in that place. The prophet Micah said: ‘For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light’ (Micah 7:8 NLT). Micah acknowledges that times of falling will happen, but recognises that he can rise up from those times and that the light of God will once again illuminate the places where darkness has seeped in. And that’s true for us too. When we feel despondent, we can know that we will rise up again. When the darkness feels overwhelming, we can know that Jesus’ light is strong enough to overcome it. The Bible tells us that, ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ (John 1:5 NIV). When we’ve fallen, God meets us where we are and helps us back up again – we don’t have to do it all in our own strength.

What Now?

David experienced God helping him rise up. Spend some time reading what he says in Psalm 40:1-3. Then ask God to help you rise up when you’ve fallen too.