My Soul is Downcast Within Me. Now What?

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year, With the kids jingle belling, and everyone telling you be of good cheer. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” written by Eddie Pola and George Wyle

If it sometimes seems that the “most wonderful time of the year” doesn’t feel so wonderful, I want to say that I can relate. I’ve been there too. 

We may look around at our blessings and see numerous people and things for which to be thankful, yet we do not find ourselves feeling festive. (And when our feelings fail to align with what our mind knows, it can make us feel worse.)

Recently, I was struck by Psalm 42. One of the verses from that chapter (actually a portion of a verse) could be a simple first step in getting ourselves into a more celebratory mood. So simple that it would be easy to skip over it, possibly thinking, “What good would that do?” Psalm 42:6a (NIV) says, “My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you…” 

What if we retrieve a pen and paper or open the notes app on our phone 😊 and “remember God.”? What if we wrote down what we know about God? Write down His qualities: love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace, to name a few. Count the ways He has been faithful. List the times He has rescued, encouraged, and given us hope. Name the people He has placed in our lives that have blessed us. And then, what if we read what we wrote down? And then what if everything we wrote inspired us to say, “Thank You, God.”?

It might not bring an instant sense of renewed hope, but then again, it might. It might not lift our mood instantly, but then again, it might. It may be gradual, but the cloud might lift a bit. One thing I do know is that when we make that list, it changes the lens through which we look at our situation. I’m guilty of getting my lens stuck occasionally, and I finally realize a lens change is in order – perhaps it might also help in your situation.

It’s a first step, maybe a simple one, but our faithful God will lead us to the next steps when we pray about it. So go ahead and be open with God when your soul is downcast. And then take that first step of saying, “Therefore I will remember You.”