Turning to God | Saturday SOULfood

Happy Saturday, Friend—

If you are fighting discouragement and despair, today's SOULfood from guest contributor Rosann Coulon is for you. Thankfully, the book of Psalms teaches us that it's okay to be honest with God about our feelings! -Sarah Koontz

Discouragement knocks when a valued relationship suddenly ends, we’re denied a job opportunity, or an unexpected health crisis throws us into a tailspin. I’ve endured all these things.

One particular season filled with disappointment was when I received a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at 26.

Upon medical advice, I quit my teaching job, left the rental home I enjoyed, and moved back into my parents’ home.

Stripped of my independence, enduring physical pain, and watching my friends celebrate milestones that seemed impossible for me weighed heavy on my heart.

When fall rolled around, I watched the yellow school buses drive by my house, signifying the beginning of schoolhouse festivities. Yet, I sat in the same place as the year before––unable to participate in the activities I once loved.

The realization that I couldn’t return to my elementary classroom seemed like banishment, and my heart suffered unspeakable pain.

The only place I could go with my heartache was to the Lord.

Perhaps this is a little like how the psalmist felt when he penned Psalm 42.

The writer was a worship leader who, in the past, had led God’s people on their pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem: a time set aside for them to worship the Lord.

But he and the Israelites had been exiled––separated from the familiar comforts and all they once held dear.

When the season for festivities came around, the author––unable to take part––longed for the days when he could worship the Lord at the temple.

Grief and disillusionment overwhelmed his heart. He wondered, like I did, if God had forgotten him.

We witness the psalmist wrestle with the Lord as he vacillates between faith and despair.

The psalmist passed through three stages to regain his hope in the Lord (and we can do the same!):

1. He voiced his despair by praying to God (Ps 42:1).

The writer likened his longing for the Lord to a deer who’s thirsty for cool water on a hot day—a refreshing and life-sustaining stream (vv. 1–2).

His ache was heightened by taunts from those who ridiculed him for trusting a God who allowed him to suffer (v. 3).

Times of external persecution may come, yet sometimes, we war against an agony within our own minds. Our enemy is a master of this tactic.

The psalmist admits the weight of his despair: I am deeply depressed (v. 6). He didn’t deny his feelings, but openly expressed them to the Lord. We can do the same.

2. He shifted his focus by remembering God (Ps 42:8).

The author’s heart cry turns from drought into storm as his longings swallow––and threaten to drown––him in sorrow (vv. 6–7).

In his intense suffering, he turns his thoughts to the Lord’s faithfulness: to the God who gives songs in the night (v. 8).

The psalmist prays to “the God of my life” (v. 8). In this Scripture, the writer refers to God as Jehovah, Hebrew for “the God of Israel.”

He reminds himself that he serves the God of the covenant, who blesses His people with lovingkindness.

Jehovah won’t break His promises. When the author focused on the Lord’s provision and recalled the blessings in his life, he stepped onto the threshold of hope.

3. He regained hope by trusting God (Ps 42:11).

We constantly fight voices in our head—some true and others false. A battle wages to discern the difference between the two.

We must make a choice. Will we listen to the oppressive voices of our enemies and unreliable emotions, or will we redirect our attention to the truth of God’s character?

The psalmist cultivated hope by speaking facts.

I imagine he was asking himself, “What reason do you have not to hope? Hasn’t God proven Himself before?”

Then he commands himself to “put your hope in God” (v. 11).

The writer knows he can’t put his hope in the job he holds, the place he lives, or any of life’s circumstances. Those are fleeting and will fail.

But the Lord—Jehovah—never fails.

The author commands himself to place his hope in God and determines to “still praise Him, my Savior and my God” (v. 11).

Praise unlocks the door to hope, lifts the weight of despair, and allows our hearts to soar with joy amid the most excruciating circumstances.

Years have passed since my diagnosis and the suffering I endured because of it. And although I’ve regained most of my health, I never returned to the elementary classroom.

I didn’t realize God had placed me in another school where I would learn more about Him and His faithfulness. I’m still a student and will be forever.

We can run to our Father with our deepest longings, heartaches, and agony.

We will experience disappointments in this life, but God will never be one of them.

When circumstances bring us to despair, let’s learn from the psalmist and be honest about our feelings with the Lord. Let’s remember God’s promises and speak hope into our hearts by praising Him.

After all, He is our Jehovah, too.

“Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God.” - Psalm 42:11 HCSB

- Rosann Coulon