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"Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!"
(Psalm 42:11)
We live in troubled times—deadly coronaviruses, distrust of those in authority, political vitriol, violence and riots in the streets, battles with terrorists, refugees fleeing in hopes of finding safety, and the list goes 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.
...but 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. He has 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 biblical text for today is from Psalm 42, and it is so powerful and 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. 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 also is 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 will He come through for me?"
The psalmist 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 original 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?"
Do you feel like the psalmist did in this passage? His problems and concerns are not yours, as you are separated from this text by thousands of years. However, though the problems and struggles differ, they are still painful. In our struggle, we have a choice to trust God and move forward in faith, or turn away from God and to our own resources.
I encourage you today to do what the psalmist did during his despair and hurt. Trust God and praise God. These two powerful spiritual realities will unleash the power of God in your life to enable you to overcome your discouragement. Determine in your heart you will do it, and I ask that you do not put it off, but do it now: trust and praise God!
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