the solitary

Psalm 68:6--"God setteth the solitary in families; he bringeth out those which are bound with chains; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land."

Words of praise, truth, and warning to me early this morning.

Praise, because I know the truth of what He does personally and can do nothing but praise Him as Sovereign. Years ago, I had a plan. Life had been somewhat cruel in those early years so I decided to work hard, start a career, go far away into the world and work alone, escaping from all I had known. Well, that didn't go too far. Darkness descended out of nowhere and I began dealing with the ever consuming shadowy gloom of depression. He altered my life for the next five years. Once that darkness evaporated, I found myself married and expecting a child. So much for that isolationist lifestyle. Oh, how He knew what I needed better than me! He sets the solitary in families and one marriage and five children later...thanks and praise be to Him only!

Truth, because anyone who's been bound by the ever suffocating fog of depression and then relieved from its weight knows about being freed! Freedom, after being constrained by anything, opens the airways of sweet flowing life. Whether gloom, sin, sorrow, or burdens...where there is freedom at last, there is hope from then on.

Warning, because dare I go back. When darkness looms again overhead, years later, after I have experienced His faithfulness and tasted His goodness, do I dare to walk in the ways that again would lead me to a dry land? The One who kept me from the solitary life I thought would solve life's problems never led me to a dry, empty life. Do I allow circumstances to lead me there? Or do I stand still and know who He is. It's worth it to daily stop everything, pause life, and consider His ways and seek to follow diligently whether I'm feeling it or not. :)