Why So Downcast?

Why so downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you...

By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me -
a prayer to the God of my life.

Why are you so downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5ff)


That's a great Psalm to commit to memory.

Don't we all have times when our soul is downcast?

When we can't help but look down.
When we're only seeing the negative.
When we can take a sunny, cloudless day, and still find something to complain about?

Did you notice the beginning of this Psalm? The Psalmist begins with familiar words,

"As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God."

Are you like me?

Do you ever get confused between the gifts God has given and the God Who gives the gifts?

Sometimes I "pant" for things.

Sometimes I "pant" for gifts that used to be in my life but are no longer there.

Sometimes I think what I need most are the little blessings I've gotten used to living with.

But the Psalmist is determined NOT to let that happen.

"I pant for YOU, God" he reminds himself.

I need to do that too, from time to time. Remind myself Who I pant for.

How 'bout you?

Grace & peace