As we enter God’s presence today, allow this prayer from Henri Nouwen to settle your heart and prepare you to hear from God’s word.

Listen, O Lord to my prayers. Listen to my desire to be with you, to dwell in your house, and to let my whole being be filled with your presence. But none of this is possible without you. When you are not the one who fills me, I am soon filled with endless thoughts and concerns that divide me and tear me away from you. So let me at least remain open to your initiative; let me wait patiently and attentively for that hour when you will come and break through all the walls I have erected. Teach me, O Lord, to pray. Amen

Today’s reading is Psalm 42 which is deeply honest about human emotions, showing that it’s okay to cry out to God in sorrow while ALSO still holding onto hope. As we read through it, allow yourself to be honest with God and to remind yourself that your heavenly Father is a safe place to bring the whole spectrum of your emotions.

What are you thirsting for today? Is it God’s presence? His peace? His unconditional love? Acknowledge your dryness and your need for him. Picture God’s presence like a refreshing stream—allowing your soul to drink deeply. Stay here as long as you need.

Psalm 42 is a beautiful picture of the complexity of our human emotions. Sometimes, like the psalmist articulates, we don’t even understand WHY we are feeling discouraged or sad. We can know with our heads that God is with us and hasn’t forsaken us, yet not FEEL that reality in our experience. Psalm 42 shows us that we can live in that tension. Having doubts or fears or feeling distant from God doesn’t disqualify us or discount our faith. It’s simply an experience of being human. In fact, this psalm was actually written as a worship song, reassuring us that there is no shame in experiencing seasons of dryness.

Spend a few moments allowing God to search your heart to help you understand your own complex emotions and maybe even remind you that he’s with you, he sees you, and he’s still working. Speak to me Lord. I’m listening.

Verse 5 says, “Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you—” The psalmist calls upon his memory to recall when times were better…to remember when he felt close to God and when things were how they should be. Our past testimonies of God’s faithfulness can help us get through seasons when he feels silent.

Spend a few moments recalling God’s faithfulness in your life. Allow your own testimony to sustain you and encourage your faith today.

Even though the psalmist feels discouraged, he boldly declares, “I will put my hope in God!    I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” If you are feeling discouraged, distant, or downcast, take heart! Even if your emotions betray you, God’s faithfulness has not left you. While it might seem only prophetic right now, make those same declarations over your own life, or the life of someone you know who’s struggling in their faith. Be bold in your declarations.

Repeat the words to yourself as many times as necessary. Declare it until you believe it.

I will put my hope in God.

I will praise him again.

My savior and my God.