Daily Devotional for June 30, 2014

Psalm 42:5-8
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?
    Why are you crying the blues?
Fix my eyes on God—
    soon I’ll be praising again.
He puts a smile on my face.
    He’s my God.

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse
    everything I know of you,
From Jordan depths to Hermon heights,
    including Mount Mizar.
Chaos calls to chaos,
    to the tune of whitewater rapids.
Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers
    crash and crush me.
Then God promises to love me all day,
    sing songs all through the night!
    My life is God’s prayer.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

According to a synopsis provided on http://IMDB.com for the 1987 Box Office hit, Moonstruck, “Loretta Castorini (played by Cher), a Brooklyn bookkeeper in her late 30s whose husband died several years earlier in a bus accident, decides it's time to get married again. So she accepts the proposal of a nice, middle-aged fellow named Johnny Cammareri (portrayed by Danny Aiello). Loretta is convinced her first marriage was cursed because she and her husband had gotten married at City Hall; this time, she's determined to do things right, even as she admits to her mother, Rose (Olivia Dukakis), that she's not really in love with Johnny.”  Loretta finds herself attracted to Johnny Cammareri’s brother, Ronny (played by Nicholas Cage)."

Ronny Cammareri tells Loretta…”I love you.”  Loretta slaps Ronny – twice – and yells, “Snap out of it!”  The line has endured for almost 30 years and become a somewhat iconic catch phrase among many!  And indeed, as I read this passage from Psalm 42, I couldn’t help but hear “Loretta’s” words…“Snap out of it!”

Do you ever feel blue…even for a few hours – or maybe a day or two?  Do you find there are times when your soul is down in the dumps – with or without a good excuse or explanation?  Does anyone ever say to you, “Snap out of it!” at such a time?

I have good news for you…regardless of what is happening in your life, God loves you…and He promises to love you all the time!  When “chaos calls to chaos” and the “thundering breakers” of the devil’s schemes threaten to crash and crush you, focus on God.  Call to Him, just as a drowning person might reach out for a life preserver…because a dramatic rescue is exactly what God offers!

Sometimes all we need is for someone to tell us to “Snap out of it!”  But I can tell you from experience that there are times when that tactic does NOT work at all.  We often need something deeper, more profound…we need the restful, healing touch of God.  And He is always ready, willing, and able to meet us right where we are.  God’s deepest desire for us is that we would reach out for Him in all things…in all situations…and in all moods.

Who will help you “Snap out of it!” today?  Are you resting in the LORD and trusting Him to save you from the “whitewater rapids” of life?  Will you trust His promises to love you all day and sing songs all through the night?  Don’t you think you should?

©2014 Debbie Robus