I lie in the dust
Jan 2008

Many times this month I felt really low and struggled spiritually to cope with all that was going on in our lives. We have been leaning upon God for so long for a number of situations and I was getting impatient and discouraged. Then in my scripture reading I had come to Psalm 119. Verse 25 stood out. "I lie in the dust; revive me by your word." God spoke to me in the dust.

"You are a child of the dust. You come from dust and will return to dust." The more I thought of that, the more my heart was moved with worship and wonder. God gave life to the dust of the ground to make me live. These amazingly complex bodies of our ours were initially created from dust! I lay in the dust, filled with wonder at what God can do with dust.

And though I am dust and will return to dust, I am much more than dust for God breathed into us and we became living souls. One day even the dust that was my body will be gathered together at the coming of the Lord and my body will be raised a new glorious body. No more dust! What a glorious hope for all who believe on Jesus!

But even believers with this hope know the choking, miserable experience of lying in the dust sometimes. As I lay in the dust and pondered how God might revive me by His word, it seems I saw handprints beside me. I was not the first to lie here.

I saw where Joseph lay in the dust of shattered dreams and wrong accusations. I saw where King David lay in the dust of moral failure and that dust was muddied by the tears of repentance. I saw where Elijah lay in the dust of utter weariness and deep depression. I saw the tormented handprints of Job who lay in the dust of bereavement, pain and unjust accusation. I saw the prints of the Prodigal in Luke 15 as he beat the dusty ground in shame and saw the footprints where he rose to confess his sin and return to God and to home.

And in all of the prints, I saw that God was able to revive and restore those who love Him.

Bless God for His Word. Are you lying in the dust of life's trials? Take out the Word of God and read it. Ask Him to "revive you by His Word". Jesus said, " I have come that they might have life - abundant life" - even in the dust.

With love to you all and prayers for you all that you might find HIS footprints in the dust where you lie.

always your friend

David