Psalm 42 and 43

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

How can I experience renewed hope in a hopeless situation? How do I lift myself out of the pit of despair I’m in? If you’ve lost hope and can’t seem to get it back, check out Psalm 42 and 43 before you give in to those feelings that seem to overwhelm you. These two Psalms should be treated as one. They are intensely personal, containing over 50 personal pronouns as the writer vacillates between faith and despair. We get a glimpse of one who is wrestling with God. He questions God 11 times, disillusioned by his circumstances, wondering why God doesn’t do something. Three times he repeats this refrain in Psalm 42:5, 11, and Psalm 43:5, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”

There is more in these two chapters than any one blog could ever unpack, but let me offer a thought or two that stands out to me. If we are to renew our hope, we must acknowledge our hopeless condition. Be gut-level honest with God! That’s what I love about the Psalms. As you read them, you hear the writers’ personal struggles and honest heart cries that lead them from the depths of discouragement to the heights of victory and peace.  How do they do it? How can we?

Here's the key I’ve found that releases my own soul’s despair. It’s found in the Psalmist’s repeated refrain. Notice that he is speaking to his own soul! “Why are you downcast, O MY SOUL? Why so disturbed WITHIN ME?”

Have you ever considered speaking to your own soul? I’m not suggesting we have multiple personalities as Christ followers, or we are spiritually schizophrenic, but we do possess a body, soul, and spirit. The Bible says that it is in our human spirit where the Holy Spirit takes up residence and bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God in Romans 8:16. Our soul makes up our mind, emotion, and will. Apart from the indwelling Christ, we are spiritually unregenerate, spiritually dead, yet physically alive. All we have to lean on is ourselves, our souls, our own minds to figure things out, our own feelings that too often control us, and our own self-determined wills that vacillate with our emotions. No wonder the Bible describes this state as “spiritually lost”. A more current description might be “dysfunctional”.

The good news for the Christ follower is the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit who comes by faith to take up residence in our human spirits, enabling us to speak truth to our souls when we are discouraged. We can speak hope to our souls!  That is what I hear the Psalmist’s doing in these three repeated passages. It provides for me a model. I can speak hope to my own soul when it would lead me into despair. Like the Psalmist, I can say, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” This is a FAITH PROCLAMATION!  When I speak hope to my soul, I’m agreeing with the indwelling Holy Spirit who uses the authority of the eternal Word of God to declare the truth about my circumstances! And what is that truth? When I put my hope in God, not myself or others, I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God!  He lifts me from the pits to praise! From despair to glory as I put my hope in Him and tell my soul to align with the truth of God’s Word, despite whatever my circumstances may be. God will always write the final chapter, and I’ve read it!  It’s hope-filled!

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.