Get Up Now!

August 11, 2026

Get Up Now!

“Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.” Psalm 37:23-24

You may have just come through the darkest valley you can imagine. Maybe there was regret or shame. Maybe there was fear or failure. Maybe there was sadness and loss. Maybe there was disappointment or distress. Maybe you felt helpless or hopeless.

Get up now!

You are not ready to step into a future about which there is very little certainty. Or, you may still be living in that dark valley. You are not ready to do the new thing to which Jesus is calling you. There is fear…real fear…standing in your way.

Get up now!

When we need something so we can step into God’s promises and the future He has for us, the Holy Spirit always provides exactly what we need at exactly at the right time.

Get up now!

Even when the Lord holds us by the hand, we may still stumble. We may falter, we may mess things up, we may fail. When those things happen, we are left feeling weak, inadequate, and afraid. If we remain in that place, we will find it difficult to trust the Lord God with our future and with our hand.

In Psalm 69:1-3 we hear the pleading of someone who is falling into despair while still praying for the Lord God to reach out and help. David writes; “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.”

Sometimes it feels as if the Lord God refuses to help us. And yet, the Lord God promises to hold us by the hand so we will not stumble. The Lord God will save us so the fall will not destroy our faith in the Lord, cause us to remain in our pain, or leave us living with fear it will happen again if we try to follow the Lord’s calling.

Get up now!

When I have been most discouraged or the pain has been intense for too long or I don’t know where to turn, my wife will often take my hand in her hand. In that moment, I am reminded she knows me, she loves me, she accepts me, she will help me, and she will pray for me.

The same is true when the Lord God takes me by the hand as I am falling to the ground. With His strong hand, the Lord God reaches out to me with a firmness and a purpose as well as with a gentleness and tenderness I need most.

Get up now!

We hold onto the promise David shares in Psalm 37:23-24; “Our steps are made firm by the Lord when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.” In another song, David shares the same promise again. In Psalm 145:14 David writes; “The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.”

When we stumble, the Lord is still holding us by the hand. When we are lying there flat on our face with no hope of a future, the Lord is still holding us by the hand. When disappointment and discouragement are chasing away any faith we had, the Lord is still holding us by the hand.

Get up now!

In Joshua 7:10 the Lord says to Joshua; “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?” When the Lord God reaches out His hand to you, He does not want you to stand down. Instead, the Lord God wants you to stand up. The Lord wants you to get up and keep trusting, keep loving, and keep serving.

When we are afraid to trust and try again, the Lord God speaks two words into our heart; “Get up!” The Lord God was uses my wife’s voice to tell me to “Get up!” Jesus is ready to give me a comeback I can never imagine. 

I am reminded of a song titled, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” sung by Hillsong United and Taya.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)

“You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand

Chorus

I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

Chorus

I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour

Chorus
I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine”[1]

The words “I will call upon Your Name and keep my eyes above the waves” inspire me to get up, reach out, and take the Lord God’s hand.  It’s in those moments that I experience the Lord God’s grace in the midst of my falling or failing.

Get up now!

The Lord God’s grace was greater than my failure, Jesus’ love was greater than my fear, the Spirit’s mercy was greater than the pain of my fall.

Jesus stands with you to invite you to take His hand and walk into your future with Him. Get up! Be strong and courageous in taking the next step into God’s future for you. Don’t quit! Get up! Trust Jesus!

Get up now!    

Reflect

Recall a time when you were afraid to try again.  Were you afraid to try again because you were too exhausted, too discouraged, too hurt, too disappointed or was there some other reason?  What helped you to finally say “Yes!” to the offers of help from another person or from Jesus?  Write down what it felt like the moment you got up from the mess of your falling or failure.

Pray

Lord God, sometimes I am afraid to try again especially after I have experienced such a spectacular failure.  I wonder what other people think of me.  I wonder what you think of me.  I am afraid to reach out for your hand.  I am afraid to get up from the mess I have created. 

Forgive me, Lord God, for not trusting you more.  Extend your strong right hand to me one more time and I will receive your offer of help and hope.  Take my hand in your hand and lift me up and I will try one more time.  I pray in the name of Jesus.

Act

Reach out to the person who has been offering you help or kindness or encouragement or prayer.  Invite them to coffee.  Take their offer seriously enough to say “Yes!” today.  Invite them to pray the Holy Spirit will give you the strength and the courage and the opportunity to get up from your fall or your failure and try again this week.

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[1] Joel Houston, Matt Crocker, and Salomon Lighthelm. “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” (2013), (Bethel Music

Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Capitol CMG Publishing, Sentric Music, Songtrust Ave).