Psalms 42:11 NKJV
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”

Do you think King David was exempt from being sad, and disappointed? No, not at all, sometimes things just did not go right for David. Do you really think that he wrote all of those songs and psalms because he was happy and care free, or because he was in sheer bliss sitting under a tree and just playing his harp because he was high on life??

Not a chance, read some of the Psalms and you will see times of anger, depression, fear, frustration and of course times of joy, faith and exuberant praise! Yet David says something here that I find very curious, he speaks to himself and asks, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” In other words what has brought you to this time of sadness?

Is it something that happened, did someone cause this, or did he just wake up sad. No one really knows, but David had a roller coaster life, no one can doubt that. Next David does something very peculiar, he says, “Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him…”

David speaks to his own heart, his own Spirit, his own mind and says, “hope in God.” The next thing he says, “I will yet praise Him,” in other words, “eventually I’m going to get out of this situation.” Hope and praise, the two things that are going to help us regain control is hope and praise. Now, I know this will not fix every emotions and every situation but this is the best place to start.

Prayer:
Father, obviously David knew the secret to finding your heart even when he felt lost. So, in times when I can’t find my true self, I will put my hope in You and begin to praise You until I find my way to peace.