I’m sure that there are times when, no matter how much you strive to live a God-like life, the Devil does everything and anything to keep you from being on that path. Maybe you’ve gotten into extreme blow-out arguments with your loved ones. Perhaps you’ve had a really bad day where nothing went right and one final indiscretion sent you over the edge. Who knows? Maybe you just woke up in a funk and can’t seem to find your faith in God at that moment.

Well, all three of those scenarios have happened to me. Some of them have happened all in the same day. On those days, I struggle to hold on to my faith in Christ. I’ll admit, I don’t even consider whether or not God is present in those moments because my despair is that deep. However, once that feeling of abject despair subsists, I always hear a voice in my head, that being God’s voice.

The voice is never like actors portray it in the movies. It’s never the heralded trumpet voice of St. Michael the Archangel with grandeur and rigor. Rather, for me, it’s always a calm voice. A comforting voice. A voice that soothes and nourishes. Once that voice starts to speak, I listen. Now, God knows all of us, and he knows what we respond to best when he soothes us. Nevertheless, he is honest with us, and he often asks us to trust him as he helps us in our moments of need.

In my moments of need, God often calls me to act by doing the following:

(1) Say the Rosary at a nearby Church– If I’m out and about when my despair happens, I get to a Church for a Rosary if I have the time. I’ll usually complete a whole Rosary, and then spend additional time in prayer.

(2) Look up an inspirational Psalm or passage– Sometimes, you don’t have time to say a Rosary or spend an hour (or two) in mental prayer and contemplation. My favorite Psalm is Ps. 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills….” 

(3) Meditate on Images or Music- I’ve always believed that God speaks to us and through us through the gifts that he has blessed us with. Now, I have sung all of my life and taken part in some sort of visual art all of my life, so art and music speak the most to me. Listening to music  or look at artwork in books, churches, or in person at museums if I’m close to one of them. To me, the biggest sign of God’s existence is the sheer amount of beauty that artists of all mediums  create in his name. Having found musical artists as Ike Ndolo and Matt Maher in addition to the constant Beyonce rotation that I keep on repeat. 

In any case, I hope that I’ve offered you something to think about today. What are some of your methods?