Languishing

 It’s the middle of the night. It’s 86 degrees in our stuffy, sweaty bedroom, and sleep isn’t coming. It’s too hot. 

As I am laying here, I am trying to remember psalms and songs to at least get my mind off of my admittedly first-world misery. 

Psalm 6:2 says, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing…” A song we sing at church has the line, “I am languishing, Lord please hear my plea.” 

The word languish means, “to grow weak; suffer from being forced to remain in an unpleasant place or situation.” 

I say all this because I am keenly aware of the similarities of physical languishing and spiritual languishing. Sometimes, you have to sit in it. Sometimes, the only thing that you can do is pray for relief while asking the Lord what He wants you to learn while you’re in that “unpleasant place or situation.”

Whether it’s physical or spiritual - or both - I can seek to bring glory to my Lord. Because, as much as I literally haaaate being hot and sweaty, God can use my discomfort. As much as I want to run and hide from the deep pain of blows I didn’t see coming, hurt I didn’t know was around the corner, confusion and despair that undo me, God can use it. And I trust He will  

I’m a wimp in so many ways. But my God knows and sees and that’s what really matters.