11 Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed?
Why are you so upset inside?
Hope in God!
Because I will again give him thanks,
my saving presence and my God.
Reflection
Why am I so depressed?
At once, you can hear the challenge from within. You know those times when you feel the need to either talk yourself down or off your high horse. For me, in my well-defined, well-meaning life, it was that moment that I caught myself whining about something stupid, as compared to someone really in need. “I was sad because I had no shoes and then I met a man who had no feet,” –kind of thought.
For you, maybe you just had the wind knocked out of you because of something that didn’t go right and now you are left wondering, “What just happened?” Maybe you have been hit by terrible news or are just having a terrible day.
Whatever the case, we can imagine ourselves in distress from whatever it is that seems to be holding us down. Whether in a moment or for a lifetime, how often do we talk ourselves out of our feelings? Yet the Lord knows them all well. The Lord knows of our malcontent, even better than we ever could. Not only has our Savior walked alongside us in each of our own trials, but our Savior also knows these feelings first-hand. Our Lord is/was human too and he lived them on our behalf. Our Savior knows and understands.
This knowledge shifts us, because in the end, we want to have hope. And so the psalmist’s realization shifts.
Whether we are depressed and can’t get off the couch or just have a moment of inner dis ease, the psalmist’s sentiment reminds us. The psalmist sentiment remains. There is one who knows the depths of our despair, whether it is momentary or lifelong. Our God is our hope! Our God understands the depths of our longing for love and healing. It is because of our God that hope remains. Thanks be to God!
by Barbara Carlson
For Pondering & Prayer
What/Who is it that keeps hope alive? How does hope remain with you? What humbles you to remember that our Lord shares our every emotion and thus is our brother in all we experience?
Prayer:
Loving God, In you, hope remains. In you, I know I can trust all my feelings, good and bad. Because of Jesus, I remain hope-filled in faith. Thank you for your hope and love for me. Amen.
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