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Author: Martin Steinbereithner, from the Servants of the Word, an international, ecumenical brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.

Having a Bad Day

In the 43rd Psalm, the Psalmist writes: “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 43:5 RSV)

It is worth reading the whole of Psalm 43, which is a short Psalm, to appreciate the author’s situation: he is in deep trouble, has genuine enemies who wish him harm, and he is saddened that those of influence are unjust and deceitful. It is at this moment that he speaks to himself (or his soul) and asks a rhetorical question: “Why are you depressed?” Of course he knows the superficial answer: “Because his enemies oppress him.” But what hope does is that is switches the perspective: Rather than looking at the obstacle, the circumstance or person  standing in our way, we look to God, who is ultimately in charge of everything and who, equally important, wishes us well. Hope does not assume that bad things can never happen to Christians. Rather, it affirms that evil does not have the last word, since God triumphs in the end and we triumph with him. Therefore we can, just as the Psalmist, face difficult or genuinely bad situations with the firm hope that God will get us through them, even if he doesn’t necessarily get us around them.

Ask yourself today: “What difficult situation do I currently face where I need to exercise hope that God will come through for me?”

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.