This year, I'm sharing my "Treasures" of my study of my "Ponder the Morsels" book. I've picked 31 Psalms to study throughout 2013. Today I studied Psalm 43. Here is what I learned.
Why am I discouraged. Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 43:5 (NLT)
Why ·am I so sad [are you downcast, my soul]? Why ·am I so upset [are you groaning/in an uproar]? I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him, my ·Savior [Victor] and my God. Psalm 43:5 (EXB)
Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God. Psalm 43:5 (KJV w/Strongs)
Why: interrogative what? (including how? Why? When?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!).
Discouraged: be cast down, despairing, to sink or be depressed, be (bring) low.
Sad: to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor, be disquieted, tumultuous, be in an uproar.
Soul: living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion.
Hope: to wait; by implication, to be patient, hope -- (cause to, have, make to) hope, stay, tarry, trust, wait.
God: Eelohim- very great, mighty.
For: assuredly, but, certainly, doubtless.
Again: a going around, continuance, still, yet, again, beside, repeatedly, still, more -- again all life long, repeat.
Praise: yield yourselves, acknowledge, give thanks, to revere or worship (with extended hands).
God: the supreme God
As his hope, his never-failing hope, v. 5. Here, as before, David quarrels with himself for his dejections and despondencies, and owns he did ill to yield to them, and that he had no reason to do so: Why art thou cast down, O my soul? He then quiets himself in the believing expectation he had of giving glory to God (Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him) and of enjoying glory with God: He is the health of my countenance and my God. That is what we cannot too much insist upon, for it is what we must live and die by. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
It’s so easy to be discouraged and depressed. But there is a solution—praise, worship God the very source of HOPE! There’s an old saying, “Turn that frown upside down.” This verse isn’t about putting on a fake smile, but rather there is a true REASON to smile—HOPE from God.
To be honest, I don’t feel much like smiling today. I’m recovering from the spinal implant stimulator trial, my back hurts, my headache is severe, and I have more questions than answers on how to move forward. But I have a choice to make—I can wallow in my situation and have a pity-party, or I can change my focus to God and the Hope and Joy He provides.
Today seems like a very hard day to create a positive day, but actually, it’s easy if I change my focus to God and the hope He provides. He has a SMILE just waiting for me—and I choose to GRAB it!
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