Psalm 142:5-7 I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me.”

As I meditate on these verses in this Psalm, I’m reminded of the faithfulness of God and His presence. Our prison can take on many forms; it may be a heavy trial we are facing; it can be persecution, rejection, depression, loneliness, fear, or doubt. Whatever it may be, we have the assurance of knowing that God is always with us even in our darkest moments. We are never alone. He said, “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Hebrews 13:5b) Personally, I’ve gone through fiery trials and my first thought is to pray, “Lord, please deliver me out of this situation or get me out of this mess.” But the Lord is showing me that I need to learn how to praise Him in the midst of my storms and trust Him even though it may be painful. He has also showed me that I need to seek His wisdom too. There are lessons that I will not otherwise learn if I didn’t go through the fire. This is a hard pill to swallow. But as I learn to praise God in my prison (trials), my mind and my thoughts are more inclined to be focused on Jesus rather than my present circumstances.

I encourage you all to cling tightly to the Lord. He is your Anchor, your Refuge, and your very present Help in times of need! He is with you in your prison and He will be faithful to walk you through all of your trials. Trust Him! He will never leave you nor forsake you! Praise Him and He will turn your mourning into dancing. He is a Good God! ~Mae Lee H.

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 30:5b Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. 

Revelation 4:8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”