As I walked into the doctor’s office, I felt agitated, down, and unlike myself. Sleepless nights had taken their toll, and I no longer felt like eating.
I remember the doctor saying he was pretty sure of the diagnosis, but a sheet of questions would help confirm it. I felt uneasy answering such personal questions about my innermost feelings—things I had never shared with anyone—but now they were part of a simple medical questionnaire.
The answers confirmed what the doctor suspected: severe depression.
I wasn't surprised. For nine months, I had endured daily workplace ridicule from a corrupt politician. Day after day, I was told I wasn't worth anything until one day, I finally broke.
It was a long road back, but that was more than 40 years ago. It was one of the most difficult experiences of my life. Yet I wouldn't go back and change it.
Why?
Because it taught me how to become stronger, how to value myself, and how to give myself grace. Most of all, it taught me how to cling to Jesus during the tough times—the really tough times.
Over the years, I've drawn from those lessons. Through the bumpiness of a heartbreaking divorce, the loss of a daughter and a son, and eventually the loss of my loving husband, I learned the immeasurable value of God's strength.
Continual praise and worship became precious gifts along the way—little gems God used to help my light shine even brighter through the darkness.
Benjamin William Hastings and Blessing Offor sing, “When I reach the edge of my bravery, sometimes the only way through it is a hallelujah!”
Those words resonate deeply with me.
In Psalm 34, David reminds us to praise God through the good times and the bad. Praise can fill our hearts every day, regardless of our circumstances—especially when we're walking through seasons of great trial.
So praise Him in the storms. Praise Him through the battles. Praise Him when life gets hard.
Because sometimes praise is more than a song. Sometimes it's the very thing that carries us through.
As today's song reminds us, “That's the thing about praise—you never know what it will change.”
Lord Jesus, when life feels overwhelming and we reach the edge of our strength, remind us we are never at the edge of Yours. Help us cling to You, even when we don't understand what You're doing. Put a song of praise in our hearts and use it to carry us through whatever we face today. Amen.
