Bright Spots in Bleak Places

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Today's reading, titled Bright Spots in Bleak Places, was written by Alison Keita. When my husband and I were exploring a small, rugged corner of the state of Wyoming, I spied a sunflower in a rocky, dry place where sagebrush, nettles, prickly cactus, and other scraggly plants grew.

It wasn't as tall as a domestic sunflower, but it was just as bright, and I felt cheered. This unexpected bright spot in rough terrain reminded me of how life, even for the believer in Jesus, can seem barren and cheerless. Troubles can seem insurmountable, and like the cries of the psalmist David, our prayers sometimes seem to go unheeded. He wrote, Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Like him, we too long for joy. But David goes on to declare that we serve a faithful, compassionate, and gracious God who abounds in love for all who call on him.

He does answer. Sometimes in bleak places, God sends a sunflower, an encouraging word or note from a friend, a comforting verse or Bible passage, a beautiful sunrise that helps us to move forward with a lighter step, with hope. Even as we await the day we experience God's deliverance out of our difficulty, may we join the psalmist in proclaiming, You are great and do marvelous deeds. You alone are God.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Psalm 86 verses 1-13. Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am faithful to You. Save Your servant who trusts in You.

You are my God. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to You all day long. Bring joy to Your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in You. You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to You.

Hear my prayer, Lord. Listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to You because You answer me. Among the gods there is none like You, Lord. No deeds can compare with Yours. All the nations You have made will come and worship before You, Lord. They will bring glory to Your name. For You are great and do marvelous deeds. You alone are God. Teach me Your way, Lord, that I may rely on Your faithfulness. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name. I will praise You, Lord my God, with all my heart. I will glorify Your name forever, for great is Your love toward me.

You have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. Let's pray. Our loving God, we thank You for being compassionate and for being gracious. Help us to remember how You've been faithful, that You've heard us call out to You and have answered our prayers in the past and that You will do it again in the future. Thank You, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.