Cast Down in Our Soul

 Psalm 42:5&11
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
There are days when it seems that everything has gone wrong. Discouragement settles in, and we may even have a pity party. It does appear that the Psalmist is feeling sorry for himself and wonders why God appears to be far away. Human emotions are subject to feelings of abandonment and loss. We all, no doubt, have been where David has been. His life was being threatened, and he was on the run. Saul was in pursuit, his best friend Jonathan was doing what he could, but he was also at the mercy of his father. During this time in David’s life, he was seeking the presence of God. His desire was to dwell in His temple and feel His presence. On purpose, David chose to praise and worship God even when he did not feel like it. His hope was grounded in knowing that God was in control. Praising God is the best way to lift yourself out of discouragement or when depression starts to settle in. When our prayers hit the ceiling and seem to go nowhere, we can praise our way through to God. He delights in the praise of his people. Our hope in God is found when we look to Him, even when we are cast down and everything looks hopeless. Tears of sorrow can be turned into smiles of delight when we choose to praise Him, regardless of our circumstances.

He Will Not Abandon Us

 Psalm 9:10

And those who know Your name [who have experienced Your precious mercy] will put their confident trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not abandoned those who seek You.

 

Feeling of abandonment is experienced by many who feel that no one cares about them. Children in foster care often deal with feelings of abandonment. Regardless of the reason, they feel mom or dad did not love them enough to keep them. Abandonment leads to loneliness, and loneliness to depression, and depression leads to unpredictable behaviors. Most people want to be connected and feel like they are wanted. There are the rare individuals that always want to be left alone, but even they want to have someone in their lives that will care. Regardless of what life brings us, we have the promise that God will not abandon us. If we seek His name, put our trust in Him, He will be there with us and for us. We are told that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. We always have a friend in Jesus, He will never leave us or forsake us.