I couldn’t shake the feeling, the heaviness that had resided upon me the last few days…I was troubled, and I knew why.  So right there in front of the folding pile I told the Lord how I was feeling. I knew He knew, but I needed His truth to shine light on my feelings.

I had been reading the book of Nahum in the Old Testament. I don’t think I’ve ever read the whole book before and I confessed to the Lord that I was not inspired. Normally I love my early mornings in God’s Word. I gain wisdom and application or peace and strength for the new day, but these few days of readings had been different. There had only been one verse out of the entire book that had encouraged me.

There was so much evil, and my reading had left me with a feeling heaviness. I was almost lost as to the lack of inspiration I had gained. The selfishness, pride, idolatry and wickedness of the people of Nineveh, who had completely forgotten God’s grace and mercy, had left me feeling quite weighed down.

As I read about their evil deeds and God’s pending judgment, I began to see that God’s heart was grieved. He had rescued them before. He had shown them His mercy and goodness and power to save and they had repented and turned from their evil ways. Now they had chosen wickedness once more and in the opening few verses we read that God will not acquit the wicked.

As I laid my heavy heart before the Lord His words came and his truth lifted the weight right off me. His response to all this evil and wickedness is “It will not last – I will not let their wickedness remain forever”. I knew He was talking about Nineveh, and I knew He was also talking about the world we live in.

The weight on me was not my inability to connect with the Word or receive insight or encouragement, it was a result of the wickedness around me. It is depressing if all we look at is the evil, the unfaithful, the broken, the selfish, the abused and the arrogant, the idolatry of man’s hands and hearts.

Our world today is reflected in the book of Nahum. Nineveh could be replaced with any city around the globe and if all we look at is the evil, we will be weighed down.

Instead today, especially as we approach Christmas, God is calling us to seek His Kingdom first and remember that He will not let the wickedness remain. Jesus came to show us that His love is greater and will ultimately conquer all evil. Justice will prevail and for that my heart gives thanks.

So, in front of the never-ending folding pile, I knelt before the Lord and I gave Him thanks. I cried tears, I think equally for the lost and for His saving grace. The weight lifted off my heart because thanksgiving has a way of doing that. It helps us see His goodness amidst the brokenness of our world.

When i set my heart and mind on His power to save, the healing power of His love, thanksgiving flowed freely and once again His truth set me free.

Oh, and by the way, the one verse that did encourage me was Nahum 1:7

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble…”

Yes, we live in troubling days, but remember His love is greater and He is always good. His heart is grieved too by the wickedness we see, but it will not always be this way. Keep trusting Him. Keep your eyes on Him. When we don’t know what the days ahead hold…He will hold us through them!