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"Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance."
(Psalm 42:5)
We live in troubled times--pandemics, unemployment, racism, natural disasters, religious persecutions, cancer, Alzheimer's, abuse of authority, distrust of those in authority, violence and riots in the streets, terrorism, wars, refugees fleeing war zones in hopes of finding safety, and the list can go on and on. If you are not troubled by the macro-crises in our world today, then you may be thoroughly engulfed in your own micro-nightmare and pain.
There is hope. I repeat: there is hope. There is a hope that does not disappoint, and that hope can only be found in God the Father who created us and gave His Son and His Holy Spirit for us. He has also given us His Word that provides hope and encouragement. Romans 15:4 states, "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."
Our text today is from Psalm 42, and it is so powerful and so very real to life. I know you will relate to it, and you will also be blessed by it if you do what the psalmist did in his time of struggle.
The psalmist has numerous difficulties, and he lists them for us: In verse 1, he is restlessly unsatisfied; he is thirsty for God; he wants to know when his case will be heard by the Heavenly Judge; he is in tears, and he is also being antagonized by his opponents. In verse 3, they taunt him with "Where is your God?" Some of you are living this right now, and you are beginning to wonder, "When is God going to come through for me?"
The biblical writer is saddened because the powerful days of worship are a thing in the past; he is cast down (the Hebrew word is syh, which can be translated "dissolved" or "melted away"); he is disquieted (literally the word means "moan" or "roar"); his sorrows like sea billows roll, as the writer of the powerful song, "It Is Well" stated; he feels forgotten by God; he mourns because of the oppression of his enemy; they taunt him again by saying all day, "Where is your God?"
There are times in or lives when life is just plain hard. We become engulfed with problems and obstacles too great for us to overcome. I love how the Bible does not shy away from the hard questions and issues we face in this life. The Bible addresses these with an answer. The answer is always the same: God. Plain and simple. He is the only One powerful enough to deliver us and make a way when there is no way.
What are you facing today that has you on your knees asking yourself, "Why am I so cast down, discouraged, and depressed?" I may not know or even understand what you are going through, but aren't you glad that you will never receive that response from your Heavenly Father? He both knows and completely understands you and what you are going through.
Keep on reading the devotions for this week as we explore more about this wonderful psalm and the hope God gives us through it.
I am praying for you even now.
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