You see, God hasn't called us to seek comfort in the here and now, but to live courageously in these midlife years so that we can make a difference for Him! If that's our goal, we need to fix our eyes--and our praise--firmly on God rather than on our temporal circumstances.

No matter where I go or what happens around me, God is with me, God is helping me, and God is strengthening me. Therefore, I do not need to fear. Better yet, I resolve that I will not fear!

A quick, God-focused response to any crisis is the key to preventing longterm despair and bitterness. But once we've struggled through the initial shock and have fixed our eyes firmly on our Savior for guidance, we soon find ourselves wondering, "How do I recover from this?" Great question! God wants to bring you through the valley of shadow and into rejoicing on the far side of each crisis we face, and Psalm 40 gives us some guidelines for getting there.

We've all heard of it, and we've probably all seen it: a midlife crisis strikes. Erratic behavior ensues: a flashy sports car appears in the driveway, fitness becomes an unhealthy obsession, the younger generation's fashion shows up on an aging body. Would it help to know in advance what a crisis feels like and how to make it through? God must think so because in Psalms 38, 39, and 40 He guided David to describe his own crisis experience and create a roadmap for walking th