SAY IT.

Unless the LORD had been my help, 

My soul would soon have settled in silence. 

If I say, "My foot slips,"

Your mercy, O LORD, will hold me up. 

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, 

Your comfort delights my soul. 

Psalm 94:17-19

     This scripture shows us the tenderness and love God has for us.  Maybe you have experienced a time in your life when the only thing that brought comfort was the LORD Himself, no thing and no one else.  Not a bad place to be, but often the road to getting there is paved trials that strip us of our comforts.

    We sometimes are willing to “settle in silence . . . to just completely give up !!!  To lodge, abide and stay in death!”  Circumstances of this life can invite us to this place in our thinking.  I would dare say, it is the natural place to go when something devastating and unexplainable has taken place, whether it is gradual or sudden. When tragedy befalls us we have a choice to make.  How are we going to handle it?  Are we going to “Settle in Silence” or say, “My foot slips,” and invite the "Mercy" of the Lord to hold us up.

    I love how the Psalm says, "If I say, ‘My foot slips.’"  We can be aware that we are on the edge of “settling in silence” but how long does it take us to say it to the LORD in our quiet secret place.  It’s easy to verbally speak of our struggles to a friend or close family member who will verbally respond. There are appropriate times for good fellowship and encouragement but not if it replaces going to our Lord and telling Him, "My foot slips.  I'm weighed down by the cares of this life.  I'm anxious.  I'm falling here!  I know I need to trust You but my foot just slips and I am struggling!"  God is so familiar with the frailness of our human existence. He came and lived it, minus the sin. (Heb. 4:15)  We can get encouragement and prayer from friends and family when we share a struggle but nothing holds a torch to MERCY! We come to Jesus and He is waiting for us with kindness, beauty and favor to help in our time of need! To hold us up. 

            Even in the midst of devastating times there is delight (play) to be had, pleasure in the comfort and compassion of our Lord.  It goes against all reason that you could be on the edge of being homeless, violated physically, or have just lost someone dear to you, yet still be able to play and experience pleasure as you turn to the One who has the solace you need. God is waiting for us to say,

"My foot slips."  He is right there to hold us up with His Mercy. It is His mercy that keeps us from completely loosing heart. (2 Cor. 4:1b)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

Settled:  lodge;  to reside or permanently stay,  abide,  continue,  have habitation,  inhabit,  lay place,  remain,  rest,  set

Silence :  root meaning -  to be dumb figuratively death

Slip:   waver by implication to slip, shake , fall -be scared, cast be out of course, be fallen in decay, be moved, be ready shake, slide slip

Mercy:   kindness, beauty, favor

Comforts:  compassion , solace consolation

Delight:  please, amuse, play

Hebrews 4:15-16

For we do not have a High Priest (Jesus) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,  that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.