Speak To Yourself, Speak to God, Have Joy
Many Christians are still spiritual babies. They need someone else to speak wooing words over their lives. This is not Christian maturity. Christian maturity means that I have learned how to speak to myself in words of confidence regardless of my feelings or emotions.
This was what David did in Psalm 42-43. In his sorrow, he spoke to himself and encouraged himself to hope in the Lord even in the midst of sorrow and sadness.
Psalm 42:5–6 (ESV) Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
David does something else in this Psalm. In the midst of sorrow and longing, he not only speaks to his soul, he prays to his God....
Psalm 42:8–9 (ESV) "a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock...."
Prayer is always an answer in the times of desperate need.
Jesus taught us this lesson in Luke 18:1 (ESV) And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
There is a strength inducing character to prayer.
Later in the New Testament, Paul will echo this concept of prayer in the midst of problems.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–17 (ESV) Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,
Paul calls us to pray always... without ceasing... as the key to rejoicing always. In other words, we will turn to joy to the extent that we turn our attention to the Lord and His presence and power available in our life.
Praying to God in times of distress is telling those times of distress, they will not have the last word, they will not have the final say. You are dependent on God. You are leaning on the everlasting arms of the Father and He will be there through the passing emotional low that all Saints experience at some point.
Speak to yourself...
Speak to your Father...
Live in the Joy of the Lord.
This was what David did in Psalm 42-43. In his sorrow, he spoke to himself and encouraged himself to hope in the Lord even in the midst of sorrow and sadness.
Psalm 42:5–6 (ESV) Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
David does something else in this Psalm. In the midst of sorrow and longing, he not only speaks to his soul, he prays to his God....
Psalm 42:8–9 (ESV) "a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock...."
Prayer is always an answer in the times of desperate need.
Jesus taught us this lesson in Luke 18:1 (ESV) And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
There is a strength inducing character to prayer.
Later in the New Testament, Paul will echo this concept of prayer in the midst of problems.
1 Thessalonians 5:16–17 (ESV) Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,
Paul calls us to pray always... without ceasing... as the key to rejoicing always. In other words, we will turn to joy to the extent that we turn our attention to the Lord and His presence and power available in our life.
Praying to God in times of distress is telling those times of distress, they will not have the last word, they will not have the final say. You are dependent on God. You are leaning on the everlasting arms of the Father and He will be there through the passing emotional low that all Saints experience at some point.
Speak to yourself...
Speak to your Father...
Live in the Joy of the Lord.
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