Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Have you ever felt like you were trapped in a vicious cycle of negative thoughts? You know, when you are asking yourself questions like, “What if I had done things differently?” or saying to yourself things like “There’s no way I’ll ever be good enough to accomplish my goals.” Challenging seasons of life can put us in turmoil. Personally, I can relate to the feelings of the Psalmist when he asks, “Why, my soul, are you downcast?” I can be in the middle of a great day, and intrusive thoughts will stop me in my tracks. Then, I become sad or anxious for no apparent reason, but thankfully, there is a hope that defeats these feelings of despair!

In this verse, the psalmist pauses and asks himself an important question, and he gives himself an even more important answer. He gives us a great example of self-talk. The term self-talk means exactly what it says. It means “talking to yourself”. Positive self-talk is important for mental health. The fact that he pauses and reflects shows that he knows that his soul is troubled and that he needs to seek the Lord to restore it. As Christians, we must do the same thing and challenge ourselves to not surrender to anxious thoughts. Instead, we must take our worries and troubles to the Lord in prayer. The Psalmist says to himself, “Put your hope in God.”

Let’s talk about hope. Without hope, it is easy to lose faith. “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” We must redirect what we put our hope in if it is not already in God. Sometimes we hope things will just work out, but we are not doing our part to make sure our souls are protected from losing hope. The Lord is the Prince of Peace who offers us lasting hope. When we pray, worship, and study His Word, we draw closer to Him, and we see His faithfulness more clearly.
The promise of Psalm 42:5 is unwavering. It is a rest for weary souls who need reminding that there is hope because the Lord is with us, and He is to be praised. He is worthy of praise because the hope and peace He gives us are undeserved, but it is everlasting. We are sinful, yet He still loves us. He came to save us from our sins, so why should we worry? We shouldn’t. We should rest in His promises and embrace lasting hope.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• In what areas do you need to rest in God's promises and embrace lasting hope?
• Journal a prayer to surrender your anxious thoughts to the Lord.