for the path

How often do we find ourselves questioning who we are? I mean, really questioning our worth or value? Today, where time is money and everything has a value, it is easy to ask ourselves how much value we bring to this world.

For many, this can be quite daunting and bring us down, especially when times are tough. Quite often, we will fall into the pit repeating the negative stories we tell ourselves, leaving us to question our own abilities and worth. These thoughts can be dark paths that lead us to despair. However, the Lord has given us a light to lead us out of these pits, His WORD. When I find myself on such dark paths, I recall a Bible passage learned as a child, Psalm 139:1-18.

‘You have searched me, Lord, and you know me

…my going out and my lying down …and you lay your hand upon me. …For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made …when I awake, I am still with you.’ (NIV)

This beautiful poem reminds me of my value in the eyes of the Lord and how He sees me. I remember the opening call of

David for God to search his heart, which is such a bold request knowing his story. This gives me courage because I know when I ask God to do the same, He will see His Son in my place.

I also see how we cannot escape God even when we are alone. God is there with me knowing my next step, my every move. There is no escaping God. When David mentions making his bed in Sheol, it reminds me of Jonah in the belly of the whale down in the depths of the ocean crying out for God's rescue; God hears him and comes to his aid. Even in our darkest moments, the pitch black is illuminated by the presence of God.

I also see that He made us carefully and with precision. That even inside of the womb, God was there stitching our bodies together with care and making us with a purpose for this life.

So, when I find myself lost in the darkness, it is these verses that come to mind. These are the verses that I cling to, that light my path and bring me out of that dark space. Reading them out loud and allowing them to wash over me reminds me I was made by a God who loves and cares for me, a God who made me for a purpose and who has a plan for me.