Have you ever had a really tough week? That was this last week for me. I’ve been working long hours, and at the same time I was not feeling well, with this really bad anxiety that I could’ve figure out where it was even coming from. At the same time I’m very new to the area, and all the stresses of ministry, and it all culminated in a very difficult week. I was feeling the strain. I was in tears. And I was wondering, where is God? I kept praying and praying, but the situation didn’t seem to improve. That lasted for a few days, more, a week, a month, and soon you think well, is it going to change ever? Then, something happened. It had been raining each day, everyday, tons of rain, and then the rain stopped, and we saw this beautiful double rainbow appear over the church. It was gorgeous. Beautiful. Glorious even. And others have felt this too, but when I saw it, I knew it was sign from God, that everything was going to be OK.
Now mind you nothing had changed in my situation, I was still tired, overwhelmed, bad anxiety, all of it, and yet I felt a peace come over me, that there was hope, and God was at work, and everything would be ok.
Last week we talked about the dark night of the soul, the rock bottom experience. This was a place of hopelessness, where all seemed lost for a time.
After the dark season, we find ourselves, like the faun in the deep woods, among the autumn trees, panting for streams of water.
Why do certain animals pant? They do so to release heat from their bodies, because they don’t sweat like humans do. This process of panting releases heat by the evaporating of water from the mouth of the animal. But this also causes loss of water, which the animal must eventually replenish.
We’re in Psalm 42 and 43 today, though our modern bible’s separate them into two separate psalms, many Hebrew manuscripts cite them as one psalm together.
It begins like this, verses 1-2:
"1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?"
After the crisis, the dark moment, we find ourselves leveled. We find ourselves damaged, and broken. Like the deer panting, we’ve panted in pain after the struggle. The thoughts have been racing. The tears flowing. The ego has been leveled. Pride has been dealt with.
We’ve been through pain, confusion and heart ache. And it’s given us a surprising gift: We long for God more than we used to. After the bottom, we find ourselves with a stronger desire for God’s presence.
Anything else in life that we used to seek for pleasure seems meaningless, because it was useless during our struggle. The only thing that mattered was God. The struggle was actually a gift. It pushed us closer to God. And that’s exactly where we needed to be.
Thank God for the struggle. Even though, it was unbearable at the time. My soul thirsts for God now. When, how soon can I go meet with him? There is one word that describes this reality of the after the struggle thirst for God. Our topic today is hope.
What is hope exactly?
Here’s how Noah Webster defined hope in his dictionary, in a spiritual sense: “Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises”
Hope is the light that first begins to shine in the darkness of our difficulties. Hope is several things. It’s a sense that everything is going to be ok. It’s an emotion of joy or excitement that things will be better. It’s confidence in a brighter future.
Hopelessness, is the opposite of hope. Its talked about in verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Tears become as constant as eating meals each day, and people keep saying to him, why isn’t God helping you?
These two things define hopelessness: A situation of ongoing grief, matched with a sense that God isn’t answering.
It’s a terrible place to be as a person. A few times in my life I have felt something similar. I recall when I was battling drinking addiction, I had been to treatment 5, 6, 7 times. And I couldn’t get sober. I would relapse after 30 days, or 4 months, just once I stayed sober 11 months. But I would always relapse. And after 9 years of that, I just gave up hope that I could ever get sober. Many alcoholics I think end up there, they just believe alcohol has them no matter what. And the only escape will be death. Thankfully, when I cried out to Jesus Christ, and asked him to be my savior, suddenly, I was able to stay sober long term because I had a powerful new friend, a higher power to help me through recovery.
I remember the thrill of hope, in the first three weeks of attending recovery groups. I was attending several times a week and I realized suddenly, wait a minute, I haven’t had a drink in 3 weeks! This is a miracle! And it didn’t even take will power, instead, God had removed the issue, as long as I did my part and maintained my spiritual condition.
So the psalm writer here, one of the sons of Korah, is battling hopelessness. He feels so defeated by his situation. But he’s going to begin a process through which he will find hope again.
For me, hope came about because my situation changed. But for many, the situation isn’t going to change right away. For the psalmist, he has to find hope, even though things aren’t changing.
Verse 4 says this: “4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.”
Theologians believe that this man is in exile while he writes this psalm, far away from the temple of God in Jerusalem.
Notice, he is pouring out his soul. By writing this psalm, he’s pouring out the struggle. Many of us today, we can’t process the struggle because it’s locked inside. We have to let it out to a safe person. We have to write it on paper. We have to get it out of our head and onto paper.
So the psalmist pours out the truth, and then he remembers what he longs for, a time when he would often go to the temple of God, along with others, under God’s protection, with shouts of joy and praise.
Two things here: first of all, he’s remembering a good time, and it’s making him feel sad. Because that good time is gone. And he wants it back.
Last week we talked about the dark night of the soul, the rock bottom experience. This was a place of hopelessness, where all seemed lost for a time.
After the dark season, we find ourselves, like the faun in the deep woods, among the autumn trees, panting for streams of water.
Why do certain animals pant? They do so to release heat from their bodies, because they don’t sweat like humans do. This process of panting releases heat by the evaporating of water from the mouth of the animal. But this also causes loss of water, which the animal must eventually replenish.
We’re in Psalm 42 and 43 today, though our modern bible’s separate them into two separate psalms, many Hebrew manuscripts cite them as one psalm together.
It begins like this, verses 1-2:
"1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?"
After the crisis, the dark moment, we find ourselves leveled. We find ourselves damaged, and broken. Like the deer panting, we’ve panted in pain after the struggle. The thoughts have been racing. The tears flowing. The ego has been leveled. Pride has been dealt with.
We’ve been through pain, confusion and heart ache. And it’s given us a surprising gift: We long for God more than we used to. After the bottom, we find ourselves with a stronger desire for God’s presence.
Anything else in life that we used to seek for pleasure seems meaningless, because it was useless during our struggle. The only thing that mattered was God. The struggle was actually a gift. It pushed us closer to God. And that’s exactly where we needed to be.
Thank God for the struggle. Even though, it was unbearable at the time. My soul thirsts for God now. When, how soon can I go meet with him? There is one word that describes this reality of the after the struggle thirst for God. Our topic today is hope.
What is hope exactly?
Here’s how Noah Webster defined hope in his dictionary, in a spiritual sense: “Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises”
Hope is the light that first begins to shine in the darkness of our difficulties. Hope is several things. It’s a sense that everything is going to be ok. It’s an emotion of joy or excitement that things will be better. It’s confidence in a brighter future.
Hopelessness, is the opposite of hope. Its talked about in verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
Tears become as constant as eating meals each day, and people keep saying to him, why isn’t God helping you?
These two things define hopelessness: A situation of ongoing grief, matched with a sense that God isn’t answering.
It’s a terrible place to be as a person. A few times in my life I have felt something similar. I recall when I was battling drinking addiction, I had been to treatment 5, 6, 7 times. And I couldn’t get sober. I would relapse after 30 days, or 4 months, just once I stayed sober 11 months. But I would always relapse. And after 9 years of that, I just gave up hope that I could ever get sober. Many alcoholics I think end up there, they just believe alcohol has them no matter what. And the only escape will be death. Thankfully, when I cried out to Jesus Christ, and asked him to be my savior, suddenly, I was able to stay sober long term because I had a powerful new friend, a higher power to help me through recovery.
I remember the thrill of hope, in the first three weeks of attending recovery groups. I was attending several times a week and I realized suddenly, wait a minute, I haven’t had a drink in 3 weeks! This is a miracle! And it didn’t even take will power, instead, God had removed the issue, as long as I did my part and maintained my spiritual condition.
So the psalm writer here, one of the sons of Korah, is battling hopelessness. He feels so defeated by his situation. But he’s going to begin a process through which he will find hope again.
For me, hope came about because my situation changed. But for many, the situation isn’t going to change right away. For the psalmist, he has to find hope, even though things aren’t changing.
Verse 4 says this: “4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.”
Theologians believe that this man is in exile while he writes this psalm, far away from the temple of God in Jerusalem.
Notice, he is pouring out his soul. By writing this psalm, he’s pouring out the struggle. Many of us today, we can’t process the struggle because it’s locked inside. We have to let it out to a safe person. We have to write it on paper. We have to get it out of our head and onto paper.
So the psalmist pours out the truth, and then he remembers what he longs for, a time when he would often go to the temple of God, along with others, under God’s protection, with shouts of joy and praise.
Two things here: first of all, he’s remembering a good time, and it’s making him feel sad. Because that good time is gone. And he wants it back.
Second thing, is it’s also giving him hope to remember this. Because it’s a hint from God, that it could happen again. If he dares to hope and believe.
You ever think back to the good ol' days? It’s fun, it’s also hard. Part of you wants to go back, but part of you knows you can’t.
The psalm writer battles hopelessness. Can my situation ever change?
Verse 5 he says: “5 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.”
He is talking to his own soul. He’s talking to himself. Do you ever talk to yourself? The Bible says sometimes we need to speak to ourselves.
"Why are you so down? Why so disturbed?"
"Put your hope in God." It’s an encouragement he’s making to his own soul. It reminds me of the Psalm (103) of David that says, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul.” He’s speaking to his own soul.
Sometimes our hearts just get heavy, and that’s OK for a time. But there comes the moment when we realize, I’ve processed the pain, I’ve shared it, now it’s time to step forward into hope.
Let’s do that right now. Pray this with me, as a word to your own soul, before God.
You ever think back to the good ol' days? It’s fun, it’s also hard. Part of you wants to go back, but part of you knows you can’t.
The psalm writer battles hopelessness. Can my situation ever change?
Verse 5 he says: “5 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.”
He is talking to his own soul. He’s talking to himself. Do you ever talk to yourself? The Bible says sometimes we need to speak to ourselves.
"Why are you so down? Why so disturbed?"
"Put your hope in God." It’s an encouragement he’s making to his own soul. It reminds me of the Psalm (103) of David that says, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul.” He’s speaking to his own soul.
Sometimes our hearts just get heavy, and that’s OK for a time. But there comes the moment when we realize, I’ve processed the pain, I’ve shared it, now it’s time to step forward into hope.
Let’s do that right now. Pray this with me, as a word to your own soul, before God.
Prayer: “My soul, I call you in the name of Jesus Christ, to hope in God.”
He longs for the temple. Notice the hope, he declares, “I will yet praise Him.” He’s believing, hoping, knowing, confidently, that a time will come in the future when he will praise God in the temple again.
But the internal battle is not over, it’s just begun. He continues, verses 6:
“My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar."
These lands he speaks of are far from the temple in Jerusalem, the Jordan river, Mt. Hermon, clearly he is far from home, in exile, most likely in unsafe circumstances. But as he travels these far off lands he keeps remembering God.
He longs for the temple. Notice the hope, he declares, “I will yet praise Him.” He’s believing, hoping, knowing, confidently, that a time will come in the future when he will praise God in the temple again.
But the internal battle is not over, it’s just begun. He continues, verses 6:
“My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar."
These lands he speaks of are far from the temple in Jerusalem, the Jordan river, Mt. Hermon, clearly he is far from home, in exile, most likely in unsafe circumstances. But as he travels these far off lands he keeps remembering God.
Similarly, in dark seasons we want to remember God. We want to talk about memories of answered prayer. Memories of times when he delivered us. Memories of times when he helped us. Memories of times when he gave us a breakthrough or taught us something new. These memories are precious. We should write them down, so we never forget. I keep a journal, to document my experiences as a Christian.
It’s the most amazing journey you can take, with the Creator of the universe. There is nothing boring about being a Christian if you’re engaged in the adventure. If you’re just sitting in church on Sunday it will be boring. But if you’re engaged in seeing your life spiritually, praying, in the word, using your gifts, it will be an unbelievable adventure.
And those memories of God’s faithfulness will sustain us through times of hopelessness. They move us back toward hope.
Next, verse 7: “7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.”
In the deep of despair, paradoxically, it produces just as deep a cry to God.
A little prayer with little emotional depth has little value. But a deep cry of the heart, coming from a deep place of despair has huge value.
Before I was a Christian, I could never understand why I needed a savior. But the value of the suffering I went through was priceless, because it gave me the gift to finally understand and cry out, “Lord Jesus please save me!”
The deep despair calls out within us reaching to the depths of God, as a cry for help.
Next, verse 8: “By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.”
From the deep despair the cry rings out to God, the darkness shakes with the cry of our heart, and something shifts spiritually.
Verse 8 feels like such a sudden shift. He’s now looking at God, he’s beginning to hope in God again. He sees God’s actions in the world. He’s focused on His Father’s work. By day he sees God’s love at work, at night he is hearing a song within.
You ever have a Christian song come into your mind? Or maybe you wake up with it? Sometimes it’ll be like 7am and I’m humming some hymn I haven’t heard in years.
Then comes prayer to the God of His life. He is remembering the goodness of God and applying it like balm on his soul.
Yet he immediately turns to God with questions:
Verses 9-10: "9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
The psalm writer is turning to God directly in the struggle, praying and seeking the Lord’s heart.
Why is this happening?
It’s the most amazing journey you can take, with the Creator of the universe. There is nothing boring about being a Christian if you’re engaged in the adventure. If you’re just sitting in church on Sunday it will be boring. But if you’re engaged in seeing your life spiritually, praying, in the word, using your gifts, it will be an unbelievable adventure.
And those memories of God’s faithfulness will sustain us through times of hopelessness. They move us back toward hope.
Next, verse 7: “7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.”
In the deep of despair, paradoxically, it produces just as deep a cry to God.
A little prayer with little emotional depth has little value. But a deep cry of the heart, coming from a deep place of despair has huge value.
Before I was a Christian, I could never understand why I needed a savior. But the value of the suffering I went through was priceless, because it gave me the gift to finally understand and cry out, “Lord Jesus please save me!”
The deep despair calls out within us reaching to the depths of God, as a cry for help.
Next, verse 8: “By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.”
From the deep despair the cry rings out to God, the darkness shakes with the cry of our heart, and something shifts spiritually.
Verse 8 feels like such a sudden shift. He’s now looking at God, he’s beginning to hope in God again. He sees God’s actions in the world. He’s focused on His Father’s work. By day he sees God’s love at work, at night he is hearing a song within.
You ever have a Christian song come into your mind? Or maybe you wake up with it? Sometimes it’ll be like 7am and I’m humming some hymn I haven’t heard in years.
Then comes prayer to the God of His life. He is remembering the goodness of God and applying it like balm on his soul.
Yet he immediately turns to God with questions:
Verses 9-10: "9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
The psalm writer is turning to God directly in the struggle, praying and seeking the Lord’s heart.
Why is this happening?
Why are my enemies oppressing me?
Why must I go about grieved?
It’s important to note that in our lives we will face enemies, difficulties with other people. That’s to be expected. We’ve all faced it before, and it’ll happen in the future. But though we face enemies, it’s always wise to realize who the true enemy is: It’s demons, it’s Satan. Our enemy is not really people, it’s the demons working through those people.
Notice how the psalmist poses questions to God, it’s OK to ask God questions. But always return again to trust in Him, once the questions have been laid before him. Watch for his answers. But always trust.
Next, verse 11: “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.”
Second time the author speaks to his own soul, again giving the challenge to hope in God.
What struggle are you facing in your life, where you need to return to hope? Even if things don’t work out the way you want, can you still return to hope?
Let us for the second time, call our souls to hope in God:
Why must I go about grieved?
It’s important to note that in our lives we will face enemies, difficulties with other people. That’s to be expected. We’ve all faced it before, and it’ll happen in the future. But though we face enemies, it’s always wise to realize who the true enemy is: It’s demons, it’s Satan. Our enemy is not really people, it’s the demons working through those people.
Notice how the psalmist poses questions to God, it’s OK to ask God questions. But always return again to trust in Him, once the questions have been laid before him. Watch for his answers. But always trust.
Next, verse 11: “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.”
Second time the author speaks to his own soul, again giving the challenge to hope in God.
What struggle are you facing in your life, where you need to return to hope? Even if things don’t work out the way you want, can you still return to hope?
Let us for the second time, call our souls to hope in God:
Prayer: “My soul, I call you in the name of Jesus Christ, to hope in God.”
This psalm continues into psalm 43, verse 1, says this:
“1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.”
Next, the psalmist seeks vindication against his enemies. And we discover the enemy is an unfaithful nation.
Secondly, rescue, he seeks to be rescued from deceitful people.
The psalmist desires vindication and rescue from a situation of exile and lostness. He is in a time of wandering and longs for times of refreshing to come. He knows this can only come from God. He can't make things right, he can't return to Jerusalem, but he knows God can orchestrate events to bring him home, if only he'll trust and wait on Him.
Next, verse 2 “You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
God is my stronghold, my safe place. That’s what the scripture says. But then why do I see something contradicting that in front of me?
Sometimes we have to cite God’s word back to him, and say, "Lord your word says this, so please rise up and protect me."
There are periods of time where we could describe it as going about mourning, oppressed. Difficulty is biblical. Victory is also biblical. We can call out the victory, and ask God for it, citing his word back to Him.
Verses 3 and 4 are really the key here:
"3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.”
This is his desire. This is everything he wants. He’s in exile, living in the mountains and valleys. But he plays out before God what it would be like to be healed, restored, and set right.
He plays it out in his mind, he says Lord send me your light and your faithful care. Light as we’ve talked about, implies a light to our path, to guide us. Like a flashlight at night.
Faithful care implies God leading us down the path personally, that he just lit. That’s what Jesus does for us every day. This light and path he envisions, would lead him toward the presence of God. The altar where man met with God.
It would bring 2 things into his life: Joy and delight.
Then sitting there before the altar, with God, he would play a song on his lyre, joyous, praising, loving, resting in His God’s presence.
He envisions all this to bring hope into his heart. I believe he also envisions this as a prayer request. This can be very powerful in prayer.
Sometimes when I pray for an unsaved loved one, I visualize them in church worshiping God. I want to see it and make it my prayer visually. If I’m praying for someone to be healed I visualize them healed and healthy and strong. This is believing it is already done, which Jesus tells us to do.
Lastly, verse 5: "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."
He’s just had this splendid vision of seeing himself coming before God in the temple, but he’s still in the wilderness. Yet He believes it will happen soon. It has become hope, because he is confident, soon he will be right where he longs to be, at the altar, in the temple, in Jerusalem. He can’t see it, yet by all these things he did in this psalm, he has found a place of faithful confident hope. He trusts it will happen.
So one last time he speaks to his own soul, calling out hope. Third time today, we will pray the same.
What situation are you facing? What health struggle? What recent loss? What mental health struggle? What post traumatic stress? Think about it right now, that thing.
Now, despite everything, I want you to pray with me, believing and commanding your soul to hope in God.
Prayer: “My soul, I command you in the love of Jesus Christ, to hope in God again.”
Healing Prayer: Father, we come before you with bitterness from times when we’ve lost hope. But we come to you today confessing this bitterness and depression and discouragement. We repent of these things, we will not live in discouragement or bitterness. Lord Jesus heal our heart bitterness and discouragement we give it to you, into your hands Lord Jesus, replace the hurt Lord, with hope, faithful hope, for we will yet praise you, our Savior and God, in Jesus name we choose hope, Amen.
So at last, like the deer panting for streams of water, our souls hope again. We drink deep of the living water of God, and we are refreshed. Hope takes over again, where there had been only sorrow. Hope reigns in us again. Amen.
This psalm continues into psalm 43, verse 1, says this:
“1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my cause
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue me from those who are
deceitful and wicked.”
Next, the psalmist seeks vindication against his enemies. And we discover the enemy is an unfaithful nation.
Secondly, rescue, he seeks to be rescued from deceitful people.
The psalmist desires vindication and rescue from a situation of exile and lostness. He is in a time of wandering and longs for times of refreshing to come. He knows this can only come from God. He can't make things right, he can't return to Jerusalem, but he knows God can orchestrate events to bring him home, if only he'll trust and wait on Him.
Next, verse 2 “You are God my stronghold.
Why have you rejected me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
God is my stronghold, my safe place. That’s what the scripture says. But then why do I see something contradicting that in front of me?
Sometimes we have to cite God’s word back to him, and say, "Lord your word says this, so please rise up and protect me."
There are periods of time where we could describe it as going about mourning, oppressed. Difficulty is biblical. Victory is also biblical. We can call out the victory, and ask God for it, citing his word back to Him.
Verses 3 and 4 are really the key here:
"3 Send me your light and your faithful care,
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you dwell.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God, my joy and my delight.
I will praise you with the lyre,
O God, my God.”
This is his desire. This is everything he wants. He’s in exile, living in the mountains and valleys. But he plays out before God what it would be like to be healed, restored, and set right.
He plays it out in his mind, he says Lord send me your light and your faithful care. Light as we’ve talked about, implies a light to our path, to guide us. Like a flashlight at night.
Faithful care implies God leading us down the path personally, that he just lit. That’s what Jesus does for us every day. This light and path he envisions, would lead him toward the presence of God. The altar where man met with God.
It would bring 2 things into his life: Joy and delight.
Then sitting there before the altar, with God, he would play a song on his lyre, joyous, praising, loving, resting in His God’s presence.
He envisions all this to bring hope into his heart. I believe he also envisions this as a prayer request. This can be very powerful in prayer.
Sometimes when I pray for an unsaved loved one, I visualize them in church worshiping God. I want to see it and make it my prayer visually. If I’m praying for someone to be healed I visualize them healed and healthy and strong. This is believing it is already done, which Jesus tells us to do.
Lastly, verse 5: "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."
He’s just had this splendid vision of seeing himself coming before God in the temple, but he’s still in the wilderness. Yet He believes it will happen soon. It has become hope, because he is confident, soon he will be right where he longs to be, at the altar, in the temple, in Jerusalem. He can’t see it, yet by all these things he did in this psalm, he has found a place of faithful confident hope. He trusts it will happen.
So one last time he speaks to his own soul, calling out hope. Third time today, we will pray the same.
What situation are you facing? What health struggle? What recent loss? What mental health struggle? What post traumatic stress? Think about it right now, that thing.
Now, despite everything, I want you to pray with me, believing and commanding your soul to hope in God.
Prayer: “My soul, I command you in the love of Jesus Christ, to hope in God again.”
Healing Prayer: Father, we come before you with bitterness from times when we’ve lost hope. But we come to you today confessing this bitterness and depression and discouragement. We repent of these things, we will not live in discouragement or bitterness. Lord Jesus heal our heart bitterness and discouragement we give it to you, into your hands Lord Jesus, replace the hurt Lord, with hope, faithful hope, for we will yet praise you, our Savior and God, in Jesus name we choose hope, Amen.
So at last, like the deer panting for streams of water, our souls hope again. We drink deep of the living water of God, and we are refreshed. Hope takes over again, where there had been only sorrow. Hope reigns in us again. Amen.
