Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to you and others for no apparent reason? In asking that question you are in good company. Many times King David of Bible fame asked God the same question, as recorded in the book of Psalms. “My God, why are You so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1 NIV).

          In this Psalm, David was so discouraged he said he was no better than a worm (verse 6). Maybe he even felt so low, as the saying goes, that he would have to reach up to scratch a worm’s ankle.

          Despite David’s lament, you will read later in the same Psalm that David ends his heartcry on a positive note: “He has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help. The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise Him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord” (Psalm 22:24, 26–27 NIV).

          David overcame his discouragement by praising God in spite of how he felt. It worked for David, and it will work for us!

          Curtis Peter Van Gorder is a full-time volunteer with the Family International in the Mideast.