7 day plan

Our Source of Hope and Faith

Day 4 of 7

NIV

Psalms 42:5

5Why, 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.

ReflectionIt’s okay not to be okay. I’m feeling down today. Not my day … These are some of the phrases frequently used by Millennials and Gen Z’s — in fact, all generations. The Psalmist felt the same. Feeling downcast, disturbed, uneasy … But it did not take long for the Psalmist to reflect on his reality: Let’s shift to hope, praise, and salvation.

It is easy to slip into a state of hopelessness. Imagine you are one of the 110 million refugees (40% are children) around our globe, having been forced out of the comfort of your homeland, unsure of what the future holds, living in constant transition, not knowing where and when there will be stability in your life …

And then you meet a group of children in a refugee camp who graduated from the Bible-based literacy program, their eyes shining with pride as they recite the alphabets, read Bible verses, sing worship songs … Suddenly there is an abundance of hope, because hope is now anchored in God and not in fellow humans. What a privilege it is to be his children.

Prayer:  Help us Lord to stay focused on your goodness. We pray for all the refugee children as they seek to find meaning and purpose for their lives through your word.

Days

Psalms 42:1-11

Book II

Psalms 42–72

Psalm 42

For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1As the deer pants for streams of water,

so my soul pants for you, my God.

2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When can I go and meet with God?

3My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

4These things I remember

as I pour out my soul:

how I used to go to the house of God

under the protection of the Mighty One

with shouts of joy and praise

among the festive throng.

5Why, 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.

6My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I will remember you

from the land of the Jordan,

the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your waterfalls;

all your waves and breakers

have swept over me.

8By day the Lord directs his love,

at night his song is with me—

a prayer to the God of my life.

9I say to God my Rock,

“Why have you forgotten me?

Why must I go about mourning,

oppressed by the enemy?”

10My bones suffer mortal agony

as my foes taunt me,

saying to me all day long,

“Where is your God?”

11Why, 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.