Preaching Hope to Your Soul
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.
Psalm 42:11, NIV
Hope plays an important role in the Christmas gift-receiving and giving drama. We hope to find a great deal on that one thing that our child or spouse or sibling wants most. We hope they will like the color or model we pick for them. We hope that we will get that one thing on which we’ve set our heart. It is hope (and selfish consumerism) that drives much of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday craziness.
Thankfully, our hope as those who have experienced the rescue of Jesus is not as fickle as a “must have” gift this Christmas. What is difficult is not allowing our hearts to get swept into the business of banking on a certain feeling or outcome or answer being a part of the hope that is ours in Christ. The psalmist models a difficult but vitally necessary spiritual discipline throughout Psalms 42-43, preaching hope to his soul. The Psalms are gritty, honest and sometimes “too” real. Here there is no neatly buttoned up version of struggle or pain, rather it is a true to life picture of the highs and lows of endeavoring to walk closely with the God of covenant love and commitment in a world that is broken. There is no airbrushing here. Just read Psalm 42-43 again if you need convincing. The psalmist is heartsick for God’s presence. He will hope in God and will praise Him, His Savior and God. The psalmist is overwhelmed by God’s flood amidst tears. He will hope in God and will praise His saving, sovereign God. The psalmist comes with bold requests amidst an unchanged situation in which he feels rejected by God and the oppression of his enemies leaves him broken in mourning. Requests yet unanswered, he preaches to his downcast soul- HOPE IN GOD! Schaefer wrote this on Psalms 42-43, “God is omnipresent in a poem that complains of his absence…” There is a reason why the Psalms have been described as a medicine chest for the soul. They offer real help to our real life experiences. Maybe especially the painful and confusing chapters of life. And here is the indomitable reality behind our hope: Nothing can stop our God from fulfilling His promises. Nothing will or can or has happened that keeps God from being my God and me His child. No pain is deep enough to separate me finally from His steadfast love. No question bewildering enough to take me beyond His reach. No earnest yet unanswered request big enough to nullify the “yes” and “amen” to every promise given in His Son. Hope in God. Because He is the unchanging One in an ever-changing world.
“My God will clear the furrows from my brow, and the tear marks from my cheek. Therefore will I lift up my head and smile in the face of the storm.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon
For Personal Reflection: take a few minutes to listen to this song of hope, let it encourage your soul!
Questions for WEDnesday discussion:
What is the biggest “hope robber” for you: not experiencing God’s presence (42:1-5)? God’s overwhelming/painful intervention in your life (42:6-11)? Waiting for God to answer your earnest requests (43:1-5)?
How do you practice the necessary but often difficult work of preaching hope to your soul? What helps you do this best?
The steadfast love of God is how we should understand God’s covenant connection to us. What Scriptures or specific actions of God remind and reassure you of God’s love for you when He seems distant?
Remembering God’s past closeness and intervention in our lives are modeled for us in many places in the Psalms. Share one such experience of God’s past faithfulness to encourage the hope of others.