“Preaching to Yourself” - Psalm 42 (Day 3)

Welcome back to our Summer Sabbath devotionals and this week's journey through Psalm 42, where our author wrestles with his troubled heart amid adversity and captivity. Yet, rather than surrender to feelings of hopelessness and discouragement, the author fights back by engaging in five habits to stay strong and endure. First, he continued to thirst for a connection with God; then, he leaned into his doubt by asking questions. Today, we'll see him practicing a necessary yet often neglected spiritual discipline - preaching to yourself. Before we explore this concept deeper, I want to provide space for you to practice preaching to yourself. Capture any negative thoughts occupying your mind and speak God's truth over them in prayer. 

As you read Psalm 42,  notice the different ways the author tries to shift his perspective off his circumstances and on to God:

Psalm 42 says this:

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4 These 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.

5 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.

6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

8 By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 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.

Take a moment to reflect on what you just read:

• How did the author preach to himself? What does he want to be reminded of and understand more fully?

Life, and the circumstances it brings, will inevitably challenge our faith and cause us to distrust things about God, His concern and protection, and our value in His eyes. The author of Psalm 42 had his fair share of reasons for feeling discouraged and distressed: being far from home, facing trials and exile without family and friends, and facing relentless taunting from his enemies. Many of us wouldn't blame him if he gave up hope and wallowed in sorrow. 

What makes preaching to ourselves such a challenging venture is also why this habit is so necessary for us. Our feelings and circumstances are fickle, and relying on them to dictate our faith makes us flounder. When we allow them to be our sole guide, they naturally lead us to forget His faithfulness and the security His love provides us. Without tending to our mind, it becomes our foe rather than a friend. It takes zero effort to get stuck in our head, trapped by negative thoughts - we do it without thinking. On the other hand, digging ourselves out of these well-worn thought patterns requires us to fight. 

Take a moment and consider…What negative thoughts occupy your mind and how do they cause you to question God’s heart and concern for you? 

Reread Psalm 42:5 and as you do, picture the author looking himself in the mirror and speaking these words over himself: 

Psalm 42:5 says this:

5 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.

We've got to stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves. We respond to the enemy's lies by shouting back God’s truth. This is what’s taking place in Psalm 42. The author is having a tough conversation with his soul and not holding back any punches. He goes further than simply asking why his soul is downcast; he urges it to continue hoping in God and praising Him. Like the author, we preach to ourselves not as some self-help, inner monologue pep talk but as a way to lift our eyes off our circumstances and place them back on God. We let Him be our guide, not our feelings, thoughts, or circumstances. 

We don't hear or read His truth once and somehow magically fully understand its implications, become familiar with it, and trust it enough to display faith. We transform our hearts by renewing our minds. We capture our thoughts and make them obedient to Christ. For some of us, it might involve praying with a pen and journaling our thoughts, feelings, and emotions - putting our heart on paper. By repeatedly listening to and meditating on Scripture, we help it stick in our minds, forge our hearts, and strengthen our souls. 

So, as we begin to wrap up our time together, we want to provide you some space to respond to what we read and maybe to what God is trying to say to you through Psalm 42. First, take a moment to process this question…Where do you need to preach to yourself and what does your soul need to hear? 

Another question to consider is this…How can you capture your thoughts and make them obedient to Christ today? 

PRAYER

Father God, 

Rather than let my mind wander, I will capture my thoughts and set my focus on You.

Instead of allowing my circumstances to direct my ways, I will trust the path You set before me.

May I meditate on Your truth and let its wisdom breathe courage, hope, and faith into my soul. Amen.