December 3rd

Why So Cast Down?

Psalm 43:5
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

In this World

It is difficult to live in this world and never become downcast or upset about something. David speaks of this in Psalm 43, when he speaks to his own soul, asking himself why he is so downcast, and why so upset and troubled.

Hope in God

His solution to the problem was to put his trust in God, and to praise the LORD. This word “praise” here means to shoot forth the hands, to give thanks, to laud, to confess the name of the LORD.

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving

God is after thanksgiving. That is what He looks for from us. But sometimes we don’t feel thankful. Yet the giving of thanks to God will pull us out of the gutter. And we are often focused on the things that pull us down emotionally, the problems and issues we’re facing.

Encourage Yourself

The Bible says to lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. When David faced a dire situation, when his men were even ready to stone him, the Bible says that he encouraged himself in the LORD. And then he had victory. But he had to stir himself up first.

If you are cast down and troubled today, do what David did. Pull yourself up by the bootstrap and give thanks to the LORD, not for the unpleasant things you may be facing, but for the goodness of the LORD, and His unfailing faithfulness to deliver us from every situation. The LORD is good, and His mercy endures forever.