Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 42:7-11
Ps 42:7-11
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me--a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you 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.
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
David was talking to himself when he said he would yet (in the future) praise God, his Savior. Things really looked bad for him. He was depressed. Life was not fair and even his closest friends had left him, and some even turned against him. He was thinking that things might not ever get better, but then he remembered his God and all he had done for him in the past. Suddenly, everything looked better.
David got depressed. Elijah got so depressed he asked God to let him die. Moses got depressed and asked God to let someone else handle his job. Good people got depressed and wanted to give up then and good people do today. Life can be overwhelming at times, it can be cruel, it can be unfair, and it gets to us.
“But God”! Without God, Solomon said that living on earth was a total waste of time with no meaning. But when he put God back in the equation, he concluded that there is hope when we serve the Lord. David remembered all that God had done for him before, so he was renewed in his trust in him.
When we get down and out, depressed beyond description, we can turn to God, and he will help us. We may need to “preach” ourselves a sermon or at least give ourselves a good talking to. After all, who knows what I need better than me! We need to renew our trust in God as we remember all he has done for us before.
O Lord God, please keep me from ever giving up hope, because you are the source of all hope, and you will never leave me or fail me. You, O Lord are full of glory, you are majestic beyond words, and you are love. Your compassion never fails because your mercy never ends. Increase my desire to know you and to know Jesus better each day and to think and to live like Jesus. Increase my ability to serve others and in so doing, serve you. Give your peace and your joy to those who are depressed and feeling lonely. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
