Dusty Days
March 27, 2009

“For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” – Psalm 103:14

I have dusty days.

Days when I am particularly frail. Particularly weak. Particularly prone to give in to temptation.

Days when I am full of questions. Doubt. Worry. Fear.

Days when nothing seems to go right, and every effort I make ends in failure.

Those are my dusty days.

I used to feel guilty when I had one of those days. All I could focus on was how I was failing my Lord. How I wasn’t living up to scratch. How disappointed I imagined that God must be in me.

But then, I saw this verse: “He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” And I finally understood: God asks us to strive toward perfection, but he knows we’re not going to reach it in this life. He knows that we are sinners saved – every day – by his grace.

He is mindful that we are but dust.

• What characterizes your “dusty days”? How do you feel on one of those days?
• What do you believe on those days about yourself, and about God? Are those beliefs true or false in light of Scripture?
• The next time you are having a “dusty day,” pray “Lord, I’m having a dusty day today. Everything is going wrong, and I can’t seem to do anything right. Thank you for being mindful that I am but dust. Please give me the grace I need to get through this day.”