Hope Thou in God

Psalm 42:5–8, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.”

There are times when we need to speak truth to our own hearts.

The writer of Psalm 42 was discouraged. He felt far from the place where he had worshipped God. Earlier in the Psalm he describes tears becoming his food while others ask, “Where is thy God?”

He does not pretend that everything is fine.

He asks himself, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?”

Then he answers:
“Hope thou in God.”

His circumstances had not changed yet. His heart was still heavy. In verse 7 he describes it as though waves and billows were crashing over him.

And then comes one of the most important words in the passage:
“Yet.”

“Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime.”

The waves were real.

But so was God’s lovingkindness.

Sometimes our feelings tell us that God has forgotten us. That is when we must remind ourselves of what we know to be true.

Our feelings matter, but they do not get the final word.

God does.

There may be tears today, but there can still be hope. There may be questions today, but there can still be prayer. There may be a heavy heart today, but there can still be a song in the night.

Hope thou in God.

Act Today: If your heart is discouraged, do not simply listen to everything your feelings are telling you. Speak truth back to your soul. Read Psalm 42 and remind yourself: “Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him.”