Hope in the Midst of the Storm

Have you ever had to repeat yourself to your kids?   Did you have to say the same exact words more than once? Maybe your kids were not listening the first time. Or perhaps you repeated yourself because you did not want them to miss what you said.   For example, I am constantly telling my boys that God made them for a purpose or I love them and I am proud of them.

The truth in our words is so important that we share it again so they will not forget.

I believe this is what is happening in Psalms 42 and 43. The exact same words are repeated three times in three different verses: Psalms 42: 5, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 43:5

Anyone feeling discouraged?   Is your heart sad over the circumstances of life? If we are honest, we have all been there. The unexpected twists and turns of the world leave us feeling heartbroken, discouraged and even hopeless.

This is how the Psalmist felt in Psalms 42 and 43. Maybe you are feeling the same way today.   Maybe your feeling discouraged from a doctor’s diagnosis or a situation in your marriage. Perhaps you are heartbroken from a choice your child is making or from a death of a loved one.

Whatever is causing your feelings of hopelessness, God knew that we would need to remember an important truth as we walked through these tough seasons, so He had the Psalmist repeat it three times in two chapters of Psalms.

Put your Hope in God in the midst of the storm.

What does this practically look like? For me, it means shifting my eyes off of the problem and fixing my eyes on God. Changing my perspective to see that God has a bigger plan than what I can see. Trusting God even when I don’t fully understand and praising God even in the midst of the heartbreak like the verse above says.

Friends, this is not easy which is why God had the psalmist pen it three times.  Not because we were not listening the first time, but because these truths were so essential that He did not want us to forget especially in the middle of the storm.  It is easy to question God and wonder why when life does not go as expected. But instead I encourage you to daily surrender the hard circumstances to God and seek Him.  He truly is faithful to help you and guide you through any storm you are facing.

My prayer for you and me is that we will put our hope in God in the midst of our storm.

Love, Jodi