“Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalm 139:23-24 AMP

Last week I was blessed to spend seven days on an ocean liner with the love of my life enjoying a belated honeymoon in the Caribbean sunshine. One day, as I was walking across the deck towards the chairs my husband and I were occupying, a crew member asked me if I was having a good day. My response was, of course, that yes, I was having a wonderful day! For some reason my mind took hold of that one question and continued to ruminate on it as I laid in the sun. It occurred to me that if someone was NOT having a good day on a cruise ship in the middle of such a beautiful day, their issues were far from anything happening on the surface.

On our last day at sea, we observed two men nearly get into a fistfight over a couple of deck chairs. DECK CHAIRS!! I mean, seriously?? Throughout our time on the ship, we saw a number of people who appeared irritated, frustrated, or downright angry. Granted, we were on our honeymoon and in a generally blissful state of mind, but still, we found it very difficult to understand how so many people could sustain those emotions on vacation. The phrase “misery loves company” kept coming to my mind.

Most people hear that proverb and are immediately drawn to the intended meaning, which is that people who are unhappy feel a certain amount of comfort or consolation knowing others are unhappy, too. To be honest, that is how I’ve typically interpreted it. However, I was struck by a different interpretation while sailing across the ocean waters. Being in a state of misery is a prime opportunity to reach out for love and comfort from our Heavenly Father. Misery loves the company of the comforter. Misery is an absolute call…no, it is a true cry out from the spirit for the help and grace that can only come from God.

Once again, I can choose to see the struggles in my life, and allow my focus to remain on those things. I can easily allow myself to feel weighed down by the current daily grind I am facing, or the pain of the loved ones I have lost and am still grieving. Admittedly, there are days when that is where my mind feels compelled to dwell. I’ll begin to feel the misery overwhelming my heart and soul. When I realize what is happening, my best chance of turning the tables is to remember that misery DOES love company, and reach out to God in prayer for the company I need.

“No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word–He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].” 1 Corinthians 10:13 AMP

We are going to be hammered with any number of attacks specifically designed to break through our defenses and take a toll on our spirits. Whether we wake up in the middle of the night and find ourselves unable to go back to sleep because of the thoughts that begin running rampant in our minds, or we’re driving down the road and a certain song comes on the radio triggering unbidden memories that carry with them a flood of heartache and pain, we will get hammered. No matter when or how or in what form they arrive, make no mistakes that these attacks will always come, and will often do so at the worst possible times. But as it says in the verse above, “He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].”