"Brief Devotions For Busy Lives" by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson: Psalm 42:11

 March 3

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." -Psalm 42:11 (NIV)

Have you ever had a March day when the world seems grey or downcast and hope seems to have become a past memory? If so you can certainly identify with the author of Psalm 42. A more modern translation for "downcast" is "depressed". Yet to be downcast in the original Hebrew literally means, "My soul bows down". In other words, we feel low, burdened, struggle to function, and often feel unworthy. This is certainly a good description of what it feels like to be depressed. What then is the antidote to depression? We need to find a cure soon as depression is one of the most common devastating illnesses of modern society that has now reached epidemic proportions.

What then could be the cure to depression we may ask? The author of Psalms 42 clearly tells us that the cure is "hope". Can it be that simple we may wonder? While causes of depression vary, we do know misplacing our hope in others, as this psalmist did, can disappoint us and often leads to depression. Yet putting our hope in God never disappoints us and can eventually lead to our ability to feel joy once more and even experience God's Peace or "shalom" in Hebrew.

Hope grows as we embrace the good God intends for us. Hoping in God opens the promises of a bright future and restores our ability to experience both praise and thanksgiving. When we place our hope foremost in God and not material possessions or others, then divine love and peace can fill our lives. Depression diminishes and Healing Hope grows whenever we depend on God in difficult times and trust he can use any of life's difficulties to make us stronger and wiser. For only God can transform our problems into "blessings in disguise" when we place our Hope in the Lord!

Prayer: God of all Hope, grant that I may see you more clearly as I surrender my burdens to you today. Fill me with your Hope and Peace and restore the joy in my soul. Amen.

Meditation For The Day: Depression devastates. Hope invigorates.

Brief Devotions For Busy Lives: Daily Winter Renewal Paperback – November 25, 2017, by Rev. Dr. Mary Johnson (Author)