Having Hope in the Mess
Psalm 42:11: “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.”
Have you ever entered a season of life you never expected—facing trouble in your body, family, or finances and wondering how you will make it through? You try to pull yourself out, only to fall back in. The season feels unending and lonely, and you long to see the sunshine through the clouds again. You may be there now, or you may know a sister, mother, or friend who is trudging through each day, waiting for a break. If so, be encouraged by the psalmist, who knew what it was to walk through the deepest places. Three forces tried to hold him in the mess, but he discovered the secret of enduring it.
Psalm 42 shows us these three forces that can hold us in the mess—our location, the voices around us, and our feelings—but it also gives us one clear response: hope in God.
1) Location. To understand this obstacle, let’s return to the beginning of the chapter. The psalmist knew what it was to walk closely with God. He says his soul pants for the living God as a deer pants for water—an unquenchable thirst that only God can satisfy. Yet the psalmist was away from the place where he had met with God. In biblical times, the Jewish people gathered at the temple or tabernacle and at appointed feasts, places associated with the dwelling of the Most High. Today, when we repent, receive Christ as Lord, and turn from sin, we become the temple of God. Even so, when life throws us into chaos, we can feel far from God just as the psalmist did. Storms and failures can make us ask, “How did we even get here?” Our location in life no longer looks like what we expected, and we may want to give up.
2) Other voices. Verse 3 shows that, like Job, the psalmist endured people who mocked him and asked, “Where is your God?” As if his season were not already hard enough, he had to hear others say aloud what he was already asking within himself. Job also faced voices that questioned what he had done, why God seemed absent, and whether giving up would be easier. When others casually give voice to our deepest hurt, they can make a painful season feel even more hopeless. Are the voices around you speaking life and encouraging you to continue, or are they telling you it would be better to give up?
3) His feelings. In verses 5–6, the psalmist asks, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? … O my God, my soul is cast down within me.” He is honest that the season does not feel good. He wonders why it is happening, what is going on, and where God’s love is. Yet he refuses to let those feelings guide him. He speaks back to his soul: “Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”
None of these pressures disappeared immediately. What changed was the voice the psalmist chose to trust: instead of letting his location, other people, or his feelings have the final word, he spoke hope to his own soul.
He goes on to remind himself of God’s loving kindness in the daytime and the song of God that covers him in the night. The psalmist broke the hold of despair by reminding his soul to HOPE IN GOD, even in the middle of the mess.
Psalm 42 does not tell us that God delivered him during this chapter, changed his location, silenced the voices, or immediately altered his feelings. Instead, the psalmist speaks to his own soul: I know you are lonely. I know this is not what you expected. I know it is hard, messy, and unwanted. Yet his answer remains the same - hope in God.
“Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”
Let us close by praying for the courage to hope in God while the mess is still unfolding.
Prayer: Father, you see all things and know all things, so the seasons we walk through are not a surprise to you. Help your daughters hold onto you and speak hope to their own souls. Remove every negative voice and influence from among them. Remind them that their location is temporary, but you are eternal. You are the hope and joy of their countenance. You have never left them, and you have promised that you never will. Keep them in your peace during every storm. Break every chain of depression and despair that has tried to keep them trapped in this moment. Help them see your victory again. In Jesus’ name, amen
Written by: Rev. Liz Jones
Blessings, Rev.Brenda Ortiz
Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in Peace.” Luke 8:48 (NIV)
