A Prayer for When Your Soul Is Downcast
By Tiffany Thibault
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. - Psalm 43:5
Life these days is like riding a rollercoaster! If you go to any theme park, you will see people who are willing to stand in a very long line for the thrill of riding a very short ride. However, that one short ride is filled with such incredible twists, turns and drops causing the rider to scream with terror and thrill at the unexpectedness of each new jerk of that ride. The incredible rush of emotions is probably the main reason people get in line in the first place, and most certainly why so many of them return to that same ride over and over again.
Every single person I know has been impacted in some way from the coronavirus. Some have lost jobs, some haven't been able to see their elderly parent buried, some haven't been able to graduate like “normal.” People are full of worry and stress, and most definitely fear and anger. Should schools reopen? To mask or not to mask? How to work at home? How to school at home? How to safely visit elderly parents? How to pay the bills when the job is gone? How to get peace and quiet when everyone is stuck in the same house? Every single day there is conflicting news, and even more difficult decisions to be processed.
As we journey through this weird world, we are most certainly going to experience many twists and turns in our well thought out plans. Accidents still happen, sickness still comes, jobs are still being lost and the list could continue forever. Our human minds and emotions can only handle so many stressful situations before we begin to reach our limits. Our brains get tired, our souls grow weary.
As the weeks and months continue with life continuing to bear down hard, sometimes we fail to see how heavy the weight of it has become as we have adjusted to this “new normal.” When we look at the words in Psalm 43:5, we see this question: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” The author who penned these words was journeying through an incredible season of stress. He had been so absorbed in the decision making, in the stress of living through each new problem that he suddenly realized that he had sunk into a depression and that had no peace in his heart.
He seriously asks himself the question why, even though his circumstances should have been proof enough. However, as he asks himself the question, he immediately turns around and answers the question himself. He says: “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Regardless of our circumstances, regardless of the unknown, we can always find hope in God. He is at work in every single situation in your life. He will be right there with you through every single circumstance. There will come a point when you will be able to praise Him once again. He has never stopped being your salvation. He has never stopped being your God.
It is so important that when you are feeling discouraged and tired in your roller coaster life, that you remind yourself again and again that God is with you. Praise Him through these difficult times. We certainly cannot change the strange world happenings all around us, but we can choose to keep our eyes on Jesus and we can choose to share the hope that is only found in God.
Dear Lord,
Thank you that You have never left me alone to fight my battles. Thank you that even in the midst of all the uncertainty of my life and the world right now, that you are still God. Help me Lord, as I am dealing with so many different situations in my life, help my heart and mind stay focused on you. Help me to not grow downcast, but to remember that my hope is always in you.
Thank you that you are my God, that you are my salvation and that you will always provide a way for me. I am trusting you Lord for this.
In Your Name I Pray,
Amen.
Tiffany Thibault enjoys living life with her husband, two teenage daughters and one very large dog. She loves to write and speak about Jesus. She loves long walks, a rainy day and a good cup of coffee. You can find her over at www.TiffanyThibault.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
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