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.
Sadness is not something we can avoid. There will always be points in our lives where we face discouragement. Christians are not free from these emotions. But we do have a supernatural Source of strength and encouragement that we can turn to when we face discouragement.
The psalmist begins by reflecting on the reason for his sadness. This should be the starting point for us when we feel downcast. Identify exactly why you are feeling low and pinpoint the cause. Is it something that you can fix or change in your life?
Then give it to God. Turn to Him and His comforting arms, trusting that He will give you peace. This requires you to take action, that you choose to turn from the discouragement and trust in Him to carry you through the present struggles. Unfortunately we tend to dwell in the feelings, to stew in the discouragement. It is easier to feel sorry for yourself and justify the feelings than it is to turn to Him.
And when we turn to Him we do so in worship. We don’t just cry out to Him and do nothing more. We raise our hands in worship. We choose to exalt Him. We choose to give Him all our praise. No matter how heavy your arms may feel, how dark the day may seem, choose to raise your hands and your voices in praise. He is faithful. He knows what you are going through. He sees the pain in your life. And He will act. He will reward your faith with joy. He will carry you through the present darkness and usher you into His light.
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