Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (Psalm 42:11).
Does your soul ever get cast down and disquieted? Mine does, sometimes. Sometimes it’s personal, days when nothing seems to go right. Days when the computer is acting up or the internet is down. Days that often involve a call to some customer service center or another. Boy, those days are frustrating.
Then sometimes it’s less personal and more global. War. Mass shootings. Sickness and disease. Division and hate. Seeing too much of that, and it’s all too much, can also cast down my soul.
Eventually however, something will catch my eye. Maybe it’s passing a golden-brown field of wheat on a bike ride. Or a bird playing in the bird bath. Or a random act of kindness from a stranger. Something will happen, often when I least expect it, and I will catch myself thinking, “God is good!” And my soul lifts.
It’s not always easy to remember those moments when I am in the midst of that downcast soul. If I went looking for those “God is good!” moments, I would likely find a lot more of them. That’s easier said than done.
Instead, I look to Psalm 42, and I hope in God, and I remember, however downcast I may be today, soon I shall praise God again. The world is full of God’s goodness, and God’s goodness is worthy of praise.
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