Scripture
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 43:5
Observation
This spoke so clearly to me this morning amid feeling like things are piling up on me, experiencing anxiety, and feeling like I am not doing well. I feel like so many things are demanding attention, and yet I feel powerless, unmotivated, and not quite sure where to begin. The Psalmist expresses his own heart in this Psalm, but instead of just wallowing in discouragement, he turns to God.
It is like Peter, who took his eyes off Christ as he ventured into the waves and storm and found himself sinking. The Psalmist is saying that we should put our eyes upon our Savior. Let us praise Him and once again be centered in God, whom we can trust to help us up and through this storm.
Application
The Psalmist tells us to put our hope in God when we are faced with these situations. Why? It takes our eyes off of our discouragement and onto the One who can rescue us. When we look at our discouragements, we only see darkness, so by being in the Presence of God, we surrender to His help. We have hope in God, that in Him this will pass and He will be there helping us. When we look at our challenges and feel overwhelmed, we often take inventory of what we have to overcome. When we see we are lacking, it can drive us into the paralysis of discouragement. Look to God! Hope in Him that He will take care of us!
The Psalmist also tells us to praise God! Praise releases us, breaks down walls, brings God’s power into our lives, bring us closer to Him and Him to us. Praise God and let His light fill the darkness of discouragement. Take time to praise God. When we are feeling discouraged, it is easy to turn in to yourself and what you are feeling. But often that draws us away from the Jesus who can help us through. Turn to praise!
Another thing that comes to mind is to listen to God. He will speak to us and help us through, but we have the responsibility to obey His word. Be open to listening and follow His direction.
For me personally, I need to write down the sources of my struggle and lift each up to God in prayer on how to proceed. They are no longer just floating around in my thoughts but a visual representation and I can work on each one, crossing off each item as I get through it.
Prayer
Thank you Jesus for speaking to me this morning about the very thing that is going through my heart at moment. Thank you for your Word! I praise your name, Jesus! You alone are my strength and shield! You are my source of help! You are my hope! Thank you that I can look to You, my source of hope and salvation! I love you, Jesus! In Your Name, Jesus Christ, amen!
