I've been grumpy this week. My kids and husband would offer a hearty amen to this statement. I've been grumpy because I haven't gotten enough sleep and because the struggle is oh-so-real with this allergy season. And, to be honest, this election is just wearing me out. Everything about it is making me feel irritable.

When I look around, I take on the burden of what's being sold and repeated and analyzed and debated. I feel as though I'm carrying the weight of the worry about the state of our country and the world. Everywhere I look, I hear depressing and disheartening messages about it all.

I need refreshment. My tired soul needs to quit looking around and remember to look up. I need to preach the truest things of God in light of all the negativity bombarding me. I need to repeat out loud to myself, "He is the God on the throne. He is the Sovereign One. He is my hope. He is the One who will someday take all that is wrong in this world and make it right. He is for me. He is for us. He has not abandoned his people."

In light of my own need to be uplifted, I want to do the same for you. I want to shine some light of Scripture into the darkness. I want to remind each of your weary and tired souls that there are promises from an oft quoted Psalm that we can cling to during our frustrating days. 

Let's turn our gaze heavenward and bring to mind the truths of what the Lord offers us versus what the world is offering us. 

I want to challenge all of us to quit setting our gaze and our hope on the trappings of this world. Take a deep breath. Inhale these promises and exhale his hope.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
The world tells us we are never satisfied. It reminds us of our longings and our wants and tells us to be our own captain.

The Lord promises satisfaction. He is the God who shepherds and cares for us and guides us.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
The world tells us to run and go and hustle and do. It tells us to chase after greener pastures.

The Lord tells us to rest, to be still, to lie down. He is the God who gives green and lush pastures to lay our head, and not rocky places.

He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
The world says forge your own way, full speed ahead. Keep rebuilding and renovating and redoing. 

The Lord says I am your direction, therefore you can rest in my loving leadership. He is the God who gives us quiet and peaceful waters and offers to restore us at a soul level.

He guides me in paths of righteousness, for his name's sake.
The world says there are many paths to debate and choose from so pursue them all. Seek your own glory and make a name for yourself.

The Lord says there is one path to righteousness, and it goes straight through the grace that covers us all because of the cross. He is the God who makes a way. He is the God whose glory is so brilliant that we should hunger for nothing less and steal none of it.

Even 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.  
The world says look at all these trials, all these horrors, all this darkness. There is much to fear. Don't depend on or trust anyone. Buck authority and chart your own course.

The Lord says there is no where we can go that he won't be with us. He is the God of salvation, of light, and of life. He is the God whose perfect love drives out all our fear and our anxiety. His rod and staff, while they direct us, they also comfort us, for the roads he walks with us are to bring us eternal good.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil.
The world says beware. Be wary of all potential enemies, for they are everywhere. Stand at attention and don't let your guard down.

The Lord says sit and be filled. He is the God whose complete provision means we can sit and be fed because he handles our enemies. He is the God who sets us apart for his kingdom purposes.

My cup overflows. Surely, goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.
The world says it's never enough. Seek more fame. Earn more money. Look for more prestige. And beware of all the bad while we see all the hate and the worst in humanity.

The Lord says that he is our abundance to overflowing. He is the God who is good and whose ways are good and whose kingdom to come is perfect. He is the God who sent his son to love us to death. He is the God who assures us that when we follow him, our paths are marked with his goodness and love for every last day of our lives.

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The world says we have one life to live and nothing lasts.

The Lord says come to me! He is the God who invites us to dwell and remain and stay with him. He is the God who transforms us from orphans to sons and daughters. He is the God who says this world is not our home, for we are part of an invisible kingdom and a better country.

Amen and amen. In these cynical and hard days, may we not be bogged down. May we look to the Psalmist and recall the truths that he sang centuries ago and glean how relevant they are for us today. 

Be encouraged. For we have a better hope and it has nothing to do with any political party or current event. 

It has everything to do with the King of Kings who was, and is, and forever will be.