On a scale of 1-10

Whenever I go to a doctor’s office, I always look at all the different signs and information on the wall. I have no idea why I look at any of it, as honestly it either makes me fearful or completely lost at whatever it’s talking about. One sign I hate is the one with the colorful faces that says, “On a scale of 1-10 which one describes your pain?” I know the purpose of it, but something about things that are truly subjective drives me nuts. I mean, let’s be honest— subjectively speaking, when a man gets a cold, the whole world is ending, and no one understands what he is going through. 

In all seriousness, there is something about feelings that can cause us to override truth in favor of how we feel. Whenever we are on a 1 we are good, but the closer we get to that 10 everything begins to collapse. Of course, emotions are natural, but whenever they become our reality, that’s when we face a real problem. Well, fortunately for us, just like with everything else, the Bible covers this very thing and gives us reliable truth that we can look at. So let’s check out Psalm 31 and see how we can start tipping the scales toward real truth. 

As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Psalm 31:22a

Here we see King David, the greatest human king that Israel has ever had, saying that he feels like he has been cut off from Gods very sight. See, in this moment David’s pain was so intense and real, he had a moment here where he truly believed that God had abandoned him. All of us have had these moments, or maybe are even in a moment now when we feel cut off from God, but I want you to hear the rest of this verse…

Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You. Psalm 31:22b

This word nevertheless means surely, truly, or indeed, as in for a fact. Even though David in that moment felt like His whole world was falling apart, he remembered His God was faithful to Him, heard him, and even listened to him. He reminded his heart that God was faithful to His word and that in the end, David’s situation would be okay. Today I want to remind you that no matter where your pain falls on that scale, if you know Jesus, remind your heart that He loves you and He always hears you because He is your Father and you are His child. 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; Proverbs 3:5

Today, if you don’t know Jesus, I want you to know there is another scale that weighs our good deeds against our sins. The problem is our sin always outweighs the good deeds side, but there is hope. Jesus is able to replace our good deeds with His righteousness, and we can be forgiven, but only with His willing sacrifice. Today God is waiting for you to call on Him and receive the gift He so freely gives.