Hope in God

Hope in God

Psalm 42:11

“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 and my God.” Psalm 42:11

There are various seasons in this life. Seasons of joy, seasons of ordinariness... seasons of heaviness. Times when we’re not just burdened... but, like the psalmist, we’re “cast down.”

I love the Book of Psalms, because if the Psalms are anything, they’re honest. And they cover the whole breath of human emotions. The psalmist never even attempts to hide or deny the reality of turmoil. In Psalm 42, he speaks as one who knows grace and yet feels distance. He thirsts for God “as a deer pants for flowing streams” (42:1), and yet he still feels forgotten (42:9).

Verses 5 & 11 are a refrain — it appears again in Psalm 43:5. It’s the chorus of a discouraged child of God who’s preaching to himself.

In other words, these are not the words of an unbeliever. On the contrary, Psalm 43 is the language of someone who knows God, loves God, and yet, they’re struggling. We can all relate to that, right?

Of course, these few select verses from God’s Word help us to hear, and learn a vital truth: the life of faith is not the absence of turmoil, but, rather the perseverance of hope in the midst of tribulation.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul?”

The psalmist is questioning his discouragement. He feels the weight of it bearing down upon him.

The word “cast down” suggests being bent over, weighed down, pressed to the ground. Even faithful believers who’ve walked with God for decades know the feeling... and none of us are immune.

Sometimes we feel burned-out, weary or fruitlessness in our spirit. It could be because we’re exhausted and need rest... it could be because it seems like everyone and everything is against us! It could be that other people, outside situations are causing us grief and pain.

God’s Word gives us examples:

*Elijah trembling in fear under a broom tree (1 Kings 19), praying to die.

*Jeremiah weeping, lamenting in torment over Jerusalem, and it’s condition... while cursing the day he was born! (20:14)

*Job’s condition caused him to question why he didn’t die at birth! (Chapter 3)

*Jonah being so angry with God for being gracious and merciful, that he longed to die. (4:8)

Spurgeon once said, “Fits of depression come over the most of us… the strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous.”

As Presbyterians, we recognize the ongoing reality of indwelling sin. It reminds us of “the weakness of the flesh” as the Bible puts it... and the effects of living in a fallen world. However, John MacArthur once said that we need to understand that when the scripture says, “the flesh is weak” - it’s NOT giving us an excuse to sin, it’s warning us. We should pray that the Spirit help us overcome our weakness, so that we might not sin!

Of course, even so... redeemed believers sometimes fall into “manifold temptations” (as the Westminister Confession puts it) and experience seasons of unease... seasons of difficulty.

The psalmist could relate, and instead of pretending he was “okay” - and putting on a smile to make others feel better - he confessed that he wasn’t okay! And his honest confession led the psalmist to an inevitable conclusion for all believers:

We are to “Hope in God…”

Notice something remarkable: the psalmist is talking to himself. He does not just listen to his emotions; he listens to his soul — he questions it.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones famously said that much of our unhappiness in life is due to the fact that we listen to ourselves instead of talking to ourselves. The psalmist is modeling something deeply biblical here: he preaches truth to his own heart.

He does not say to himself:

“Hope in your circumstances.”

He doesn’t tell himself, “Hope in your feelings.”

He does not say, “Hope in your strength.”

He says, “Hope in God.”

Biblical hope is not wishful thinking. It’s trust and confidence in God’s covenant of grace. Hope is rooted in the character and promises of God Himself. And it’s anchored, not in the shifting sands of experience, circumstance, or feelings... but in the unchanging Word of God.

The sovereign Creator...

Our promise-keeping Redeemer...

The One who binds Himself to His people with steadfast, everlasting love.

This God is our hope.

The same God who declared as He suffered for us, “it is finished!” Our circumstances never get the last word... God gets the last word.

Of course, the psalmist did not see the fullness of redemption... he looked for it, and testified to it, but never saw that promise fulfilled. But we live in the afterglow of redemption... we live in the light of God’s promised salvation.

And as a result, we have received grace upon grace! We know that the God in whom we hope has revealed Himself fully in the person of Jesus Christ — the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief... who Himself cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22; Matthew 27:46).

On the cross, Christ entered the deepest cast-down condition imaginable, in order that our spiritual depression would never lead to abandonment. We may feel deserted, but we are never forsaken.

And the certain hopeful assurance of God’s deliverance led the psalmist to cry out:

“For I shall again praise him…” Notice the shift: from turmoil to certainty.

“I shall again praise him.” Not “I may” or “I might.” The psalmist didn’t say “I intend to praise Him again.” He said, “I shall praise Him.” This is faith speaking in the dark. It’s covenant assurance. It’s the tangible embodiment of the perseverance of the saints.

Our endurance does NOT ultimately rest on the strength of our hold on God, but on His hold on us. The One who began a good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Our Hope is in God... for God always gets the last word.

Christ’s Resurrection is the final word.

And so we preach to our souls not vague optimism or worldly sanguinity, but gospel certainty:

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ reigns.

Christ will return. HE is our blessed hope! Assurance.

...the cross proved His love.

...the resurrection guaranteed our restoration.

...and, the Spirit empowers us in our troubles.

Put your hope in God, for YOU & I shall again praise Him... our Savior... our God. Amen.