05/20/2026
Long Post But Worth It
My devotional time today was incredible. As I have been studying through Psalms and Proverbs line by line, two verses stood out to me deeply.
Psalm 18:19 says:
“He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.”
Proverbs 2:13 says:
“Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.”
As I sat with these two scriptures, Yah began to show me something powerful about thankfulness in the middle of difficult seasons.
In Psalm 18, David reveals that Yah delivered him from his enemies and brought him into a “large place” because Yah delighted in him. The Hebrew word for “large place” is merchab, which means a broad, open, spacious place. It carries the idea of freedom after restriction, relief after pressure, and enlargement after confinement. David had experienced caves, betrayal, warfare, rejection, and fear, yet Yah still brought him into enlargement.
Then Proverbs warns us about those who leave the path of uprightness to walk in darkness. The Hebrew understanding of darkness here is not just sin in the outward sense, but confusion, moral blindness, spiritual wandering, and separation from the wisdom of Yah. Solomon, David’s son, teaches us that when people abandon the path Yah designed for them, they slowly drift into destructive places emotionally, spiritually, mentally, and even relationally.
This is where thankfulness becomes so important.
In the middle of pain, disappointment, delays, heartbreak, betrayal, and confusion, it becomes very easy to stop trusting Yah’s process. It becomes easy to say, “Forget it. I’ll do whatever I have to do whether it’s right or wrong.” But many times that frustration opens the door to darkness. A wounded heart without gratitude becomes vulnerable to bitterness, compromise, comparison, and rebellion.
What amazes me about David is that even in his cave season he never completely lost his praise.
Yes, David cried.
Yes, David questioned.
Yes, David poured out his frustration before Yah.
But David also worshipped in the cave.
That is maturity.
Anybody can praise Yah when they are in a palace. But it takes revelation to praise him in a cave while you are still waiting on the promise.
Myles Munroe used to teach that the Kingdom of Yah is not based on circumstances but on alignment. In other words, the condition around you should never become greater than the Kingdom within you. A king who understands his identity does not allow temporary conditions to make him abandon eternal principles.
That blessed me.
Because many people leave the path of uprightness simply because pressure made them impatient.
But thankfulness protects your heart while you are waiting.
Let me tell you a story.
Max Lucado wrote a children’s book called Hermie. It is the story of two caterpillars named Hermie and Wormie. They were plain caterpillars with no stripes, no spots, and nothing that made them appear special. They complained because they compared themselves to every other insect around them.
When they brought their complaints before Yah, he told them he was not finished with them yet. He told them he was going to give them a new heart.
That encouraged them for a moment, but every time they saw another insect with abilities they wished they had, they started complaining again.
Then one day Hermie decided to become thankful for how Yah made him.
That night something began to happen.
Hermie started transforming into a beautiful butterfly.
But the real transformation happened before the wings appeared. His heart changed first.
That is the power of thankfulness.
Many of us want Yah to change our situation while Yah is trying to change our heart.
We all go through seasons where we complain because of pain, comparison, disappointment, loneliness, financial struggles, relationship issues, ministry frustrations, or watching people seem to prosper while doing wrong. But Yah wants to develop something deeper in us during those moments.
The Greek word for thankfulness is eucharistia, which means gratitude, grateful language, and the act of giving thanks. It is where we get the concept of Eucharist or communion. In other words, thankfulness is connected to intimacy with Yah. Gratitude keeps your heart connected to heaven even when life feels heavy.
Thankfulness changes your perspective.
Thankfulness reminds you of what Yah already brought you through.
Thankfulness protects you from becoming bitter while waiting.
Thankfulness reminds you that your cave is not your final destination.
Listen to me carefully.
There is always a large place on the other side of the cave.
The large place represents peace.
The large place represents maturity.
The large place represents freedom.
The large place represents provision.
The large place represents rest.
The large place represents spiritual enlargement.
The large place represents emotional healing.
The large place represents the fulfillment of Yah’s process in your life.
Psalm 23 paints this picture beautifully when David says Yah makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside still waters. Yah never intended for us to live our entire lives emotionally exhausted, spiritually drained, and mentally tormented. His desire is to bring us into rest in him.
But sometimes the cave develops the character necessary for the large place.
So stop for a moment today and give Yah thanks.
Thank him for what you do have.
Thank him for what he already brought you through.
Thank him for the doors he closed.
Thank him for the seasons that did not destroy you.
Thank him for the prayers he answered and even the ones he did not answer.
Thank him for keeping your mind when you almost gave up.
Thank him for grace when you were not always faithful.
Thank him because even now he is still working on you.
Ask Yah to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you.
You never know.
Tonight may be the night Yah begins bringing you into your large place.
