I know we all have our challenges, we all have our burdens. Notice I said burdens and not problems. But, whatever our burdens are – whether it be financial burdens, relationship burdens, family burdens, health burdens, job burdens, your seemingly inability to cope under all these burdens, the promise to you and me today is to cast our burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain us. Let us allow Him to carry them for us. He is much stronger than us anyway. He can deal with it. He will work it out. He will sustain us. He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Why were you afraid?” And to us His question is the same. When we take our eyes off Jesus and put in on the problems around us, we will loose our peace and our souls! The devil knows that if he can get us distracted from our real mission, even when we become over zealous about good things, he was in the winning seat. Let us put away all distractions that rob our time with God, that take our peace.

So, instead of murmuring or complaining, I will rejoice. People everywhere are experiencing hard times, but we can still rejoice. It doesn’t matter that your pantry is empty, or that your refrigerator holds only water – rejoice! If you have only a meal for the day, rejoice! If you can’t pay your bills, rejoice! In everything, give thanks and rejoice for this is God’s will concerning you. Don’t worry. God will work it out in His time. Just rejoice!!

Sing the clouds away, night will turn to day, if you sing and sing and sing you’ll drive the clouds away. The words of this childhood song are still true today. When you sing, its like the weight is lifted and you feel free, empowered to go on. There’s no need for strong drink, cigarettes, or even increase food intake – all you need to do is just sing. Keep a song in your heart and you will be singing as the days go by.

When trouble comes, your faith could be shipwrecked! So, what is it that will keep your faith from being shipwrecked or that will serve as a motivator for you to go on, rise and hope again? It’s your belief in God. Your relationship with God – if you truly know Him, will serve to buoy your spirits on. It was the same for Job – though He slay me, yet will I trust Him; it was the same for Paul – for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor anything shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Jesus.

Keep on praying. Keep on believing. Keep on reminding yourself of His promises and hold fast to them. He will come through. He knows the plans He has for you. Plans to prosper you - though you may be in hunger now; though your bills maybe piling up; though the way seems all black and you are hedged in – He will come through. Hold on a little longer. Don’t give up.

The blind men followed Jesus from one point to the next while calling out to Him to have mercy on them. They would never give up on their dream of sight. They wanted their sight: they kept going and kept asking. Others were following Jesus too, so the throng must have been hard to follow – but they kept going, they kept calling out to Him.

He lost his kingdom, not because the Philistines were victorious over them, but because of his disobedience – his failure to wait! Saul believed that because as King, he could do anything and it would be okay. But offering sacrifice wasn’t listed on his job description. In his impatience he blundered and at first strike, he was out! Actions that followed were just residual effect of a failed leadership. He lost his esteemed post! But King Saul wasn’t the only one who failed to wait and the resulting negative effect on him and his people.

I experienced real depression some years ago when all I wanted to do was just to lie in bed and just be lazy. It was painful to dress for work, to smile, to concentrate on other things except myself; I was just going through the motions. I was not physically ill, nor was I suffering from the burnt-out syndrome. It was not physical tiredness or exhaustion. I allowed the crucibles I was facing to almost get the better of me.

Whatever the disorder or reaction that causes depression, it is real. King Solomon diagnosed that the underlying cause for depression is anxiety in the heart. He also prescribed the most effective medication for the treatment and reversal of this pandemic problem. The wisest man said to treat and reverse depression, we need to make the heart glad; and this is easily achievable by speaking ‘a good word’. An encouraging word is a positive shot in the right direction.