Hope Series Episode 11

Hope Series Episode 11

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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

Hello, my walking friend! How are you doing? Are you in good spirits today as you set out to walk with Jesus? Or are you feeling a little down? If so, know that everyone feels that way sometimes. Even the most faithful saints have had seasons of feeling down. But regardless of where your emotions are at, Jesus is with you and he understands. He shares our joys and our sorrows.

Today is the 11th episode in the hope series and our verse to meditate on is Psalm 42:11:
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.

So you see, even a psalmist can have times of feeling down. The writers of this psalm were the sons of Korah. And at this time in their lives, they had good reasons to feel discouraged.
They were far from their home and the house of God.
Unbelievers were taunting them.
They had known much better times.
They experienced overwhelming trials in life.
And they knew spiritual highs in the past but now they felt like God was far away.

Have you ever felt discouraged? Wondering where God was and why he wasn’t revealing himself to you? I know I have had times in my life where my soul felt downcast. Aren’t we fortunate that God gave us the gift of scripture and psalms like this one? You see, God is telling us, it’s okay to cry out to me in those times. It’s okay to lament about your situation. He can handle our negative emotions. So cry out to the Lord when your soul feels downcast! Jesus walks with you no matter what is going on in your life. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
But the sons of Korah don’t stop with their lament. Instead, they challenge the state of their soul. Why are you downcast? They ask. Why so disturbed within me?

And their response is our takeaway today regarding hope. Yes, their situation felt hopeless, but they reminded themselves, and us through their testimony, of who God is and what he had done for them in the past. God was their Savior the then and he is there savior now.

The same is true for us. When we feel discouraged, or our soul is feeling blue, we should pause and think about all that God has done for us in the past. Think about what Jesus did for us on the cross. God was our savior then and he is our savior now. Put your hope in God, the sons of Korah said.

This is a powerful reminder that our hope should never rest on our circumstances, our own abilities, or other people. Our hope should be firmly anchored in the unchanging character of God. He is our rock, our refuge, and our source of strength. When we put our hope in Him, we’re placing our trust in the One who can calm the storms in our hearts and souls.

But how do we practically put our hope in God? It begins with turning to Him in prayer and seeking His presence daily, like you are doing right now. Spend time in His Word, where you’ll find countless promises of His love, faithfulness, and provision. Remember that even when everything around us seems to crumble, God remains the same—yesterday, today, and forever.

They go on to say, “for I will yet praise him.” This part is crucial. Even before the circumstances change, before the storm clouds dissipate, we can choose to praise God. This doesn’t mean denying our pain or pretending everything is fine. It means recognizing that God is greater than our pain and circumstances. When we praise Him in the midst of trials, we’re declaring our trust in His sovereignty.

As we praise Him, we’re also shifting our focus away from our problems and onto the solution—our Savior and our God. He is our hope when we feel hopeless.

Now let’s take a little time to meditate on today’s verse,
Psalm 42:11:
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.

You are now at the halfway point of your walk. If you need to be back in 10 minutes, this would be the time to turn around and head back.

The second half of our walk is an opportunity for reflection, meditation, and prayer. For many of us, myself included, this might feel challenging. But the spiritual rewards, and transformation, that come from developing this discipline is great and so is the power of the Holy Spirit to help us. So let’s start with some questions that will guide you in the process of reflection.

Is it hard for you to praise Jesus when you are feeling down or you are in a challenging season of life? If so, why? If not, why not?

When you are feeling discouraged, do you feel comfortable lamenting to Jesus about your situation? How do you think Jesus reacts to your lamentations?

Take a little time to think of some of Jesus’ characteristics. How does focusing on his attributes give you hope?

Now let’s listen to today’s verse one last time:
Psalm 42:11:
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.

Is there anything else you would like to talk to Jesus about? Anything going on in your life? Remember he is right there with you, walking with you, and he is eager for you to share all that is on your heart and mind with him. Take some time to talk to him now.

Now I am going to pray for us:
Dear Jesus,
Life without you is truly a life without hope. I long to feel your presence every moment, but sometimes you feel far away. During those times in my life, help me trust your truth and distrust my feelings. I thank you and praise you for who you are – my loving, merciful, gracious, kind, faithful Savior. You are an ever-present hope in the darkest seasons of my life. Jesus, please bless me with a good recall of your promises so they can be an umbrella of protection during those rainy seasons of life. I love you and I thank you for walking with me always. Even when I may not feel your presence, I know you are there. Amen.

Well, my walking friend, you did it! Another 10 minutes of walking and another opportunity to build the spiritual discipline of prayer and quiet time with Jesus, the one who walks with us through every season of life. I’m grateful for you and I’m grateful you took the time to walk with me today.

For more Walk with Jesus resources, including the Walk with Jesus 21 day scripture, devotional, and guided prayer journal book for walkers, go to WalkWithJesusDevotional.com. You will find the URL for the show notes for this podcast in the episode description.

I hope we can walk together again tomorrow, friend, as we continue our series on hope. Until then, God bless you as you walk with Jesus.