Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ!! I just wanted to share this good news—I met her. I did not even know that I was looking for her, but there she was. My son, James, a toddler at the time, was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia and RSV. In the midst of that exhausting week, I had my overnight bag packed and was heading to his room.
In the elevator, I was joined by a woman in her 50’s. She had no features that stood out. She was neither tall nor short, neither heavy nor thin, neither young nor old. We could have easily ignored one another but for one reality—she was crying. This poor woman was not just sniffling; she was openly weeping, even sobbing. In that cramped space, I searched for the right words. Finally, I came out with, “Tough day?” That’s one of those reasonable responses that gives her all of the power—she could just nod her head, or she could pour out her heart. On that occasion, she chose the latter.
She said, “Yes, a very tough day.” Then, she told me her story. Her father had battled cancer bravely, but the disease was winning. She and her mother had taken good care of him, with this woman shuffling between the hospital and jobs and kids. Now, she had just learned that her mother was in the hospital, and her condition was not good. The poor woman seemed all alone in the world as she said, “What am I going to do?”
Who was that woman? She is the woman we find in Psalm 25. The psalmist describes that person as being in a “desolate pit” and a “miry bog” (verse 2), one who has been “encompassed by evils” and “overtaken by iniquities” (verse 12). You probably know that woman, too. In fact, YOU have probably been that woman. Many of us have watched loved ones suffer with disease, or worried over the safety of our kids, or failed to make a house payment, or ruined a relationship. Many of us have been there in that desolate pit. During those times, we can cling to that prayer that we find at the end of the psalm, “I take refuge in you” (verse 20). May your days be blessed, and may you find your refuge in God.