"Hope in God"

Ever felt frustrated deep within - at yourself, or with the circumstances that surround you? Well, i had been going through a period as such ... and waves after waves of frustrating thoughts as to circumstances and myself kept coming - seemingly perpetual, seemingly unending. It was like as if after getting my head above the water that another wave came crashing down ... and there i was again - beneath the waters. By no means an easy time ... or a fun thing to be in ... no, not at all.

Was seeking God early this morning (with all my frustrations, discouragements, burdens, etc) ... and just when God seemed to be silent / far-away, i was led to the passage in Psalm 42. I promptly flipped to it and read it prayerfully before God ... and meditated over it.

As i read, God spoke to my spirit through this psalm; and at the same time, my mind recollecting (and expanding on) some things i had read in a book by John Stott not too long ago: Firstly, God brought to my attention the state / circumstance the Psalmist was in. The Psalmist seemed to be in some kind of depression - probably due to the circumstances that he faced - internally and externally: (1) People were mocking him with regards to his faith in God (v.3, 10), and to make matters worse, (2) God seemed to be far away / indifferent as to the plight the Psalmist was in (v.9) - so much so that he longed for and thirsted after God (v.1-2) as he recalled the times he had in God's presence (v.4).

Have you ever felt like that? I certainly did. Perhaps it is not people, but our very own minds, that are taunting us - it seems to tell us things like, "What's the point?", "Look at you / your situation. Where is God in all these?" and so forth. And worse still, God does indeed seem distant / far away from us.

Then, God drew my eyes to see how the Psalmist dealt with the depressing circumstance he was in (PS: For greater effect, try putting yourselves in his shoes!!!). What God showed me was that, the Psalmist, in spite of his circumstances and feelings, was determined not to give in to his moods. He seems to get a handle over himself before he let his feelings run wild - and he even reproaches himself for his feelings of depression (perhaps implicit from the questions he asks himself in v.5a and 11a). He acknowledges (i.e. gets in touch with his very feelings) the state that he was in (i.e. depressed, confused, etc) - and asks himself the hard question of "why so" - why was he feeling this way?

And, with each of his self-questioning (v.5a, 11a), instead of seeking to find the reason as to his depression, he came up with a remedy: "Put your hope in God" (v.5b, 11b). He knew that he had to give up his feelings of melancholism / self-pity / frustrations ... and instead of all these things, to put his trust and hope in God. He was determined not to let circumstances or even his feelings, for that matter, dictate his faith in God. He disciplined himself not to look within himself (self-pity), or around him (circumstances), but rather to look upwards (hope in God) - for He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46: 1). His cure / remedy / solution to his feelings of depression was to look to and trust in God. Indeed, as Psalm 121: 1-2 puts it so aptly: "I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

I reckon it will not always be easy (especially if we are in the midst of certain struggles), but that's exactly what i will strive / discipline myself to do - to look to God and to put my hope in Him - for yet will i praise Him, my Savior and my God. And friends, that's what i urge each of us to do as well.