Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? —Psalm 43:5
In modern terms, we could translate this verse, “Why are you so depressed? Why are you so filled with anxieties?”
Society places us under many difficult pressures. We find ourselves struggling financially, struggling with our relationships, struggling with work. The future feels uncertain. When we are unable to cope with those pressures, the result is depression or anxiety. Those feelings of dissatisfaction or hopelessness are magnified when we fail to see a way out of our circumstances— when we feel trapped in a darkened maze and can’t find the way out.
David’s soul was cast down. He was troubled because of the ungodly nations that surrounded and oppressed him. He was troubled because of deceitful men who had been unfair in dealing with him.
But in the midst of this depression, David reminds himself of the solution. “Hope in God” (Psalm 43: 5).
You won’t find the solution to your problems by looking at other people or at yourself.
Direct your thoughts away from the problem and put them on God; away from your own weaknesses and onto His strength. You need to remember that God loves you and is in control of the circumstances that surround your life.
Pastor Chuck Smith
