Preaching to Your Soul

A Verse

Psalm 42:5

Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

A Comment

Sometimes we have to preach to ourselves. That is what we find here in Psalm 42. The psalmist is honest about his feelings, but he is also aware that his feelings can be misleading. Though he is downcast and disturbed within, deliverance from these feelings will not be found in himself. He knows he has to look to God, to “put his hope in God.” Therefore, he preaches to his soul, “Put your hope in God!”

In anticipation of how hoping in God will change him, the psalmist declares his confidence that he will yet praise the LORD, his Savior and God. He might not feel it yet, but he knows if he would look outside of himself to the God who is his hope, then, and only then, would he be delivered from the downcasting disturbance that plagues his soul.

From this psalmist, we learn that sometimes we need to be very honest about our feelings, but we must also not allow those feelings to take the place in our soul that ought to be hoping in God. Our despair is no match for our Savior and God. Sometimes we’ve got to preach this to our soul.

A Prayer

Would you join me in prayer?

A Blessing

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.