“Why, my soul, are you cast down? Why do you groan within me? Wait for God; I will yet thank Him, For He is my deliverance and my God.”

— Psalm 42:5

When we read this verse, we might think, “The poor psalmist. He has come to the place where he is talking to himself.” But the Word of God would have us understand that he is doing exactly what he ought to do.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of the greatest preachers in England in the second part of the twentieth century, says this in his excellent work, Spiritual Depression, It’s Cause and Cure: “Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself.”

Remarkable? Most of your unhappiness in life comes from listening to yourself. Think about it. You wake up in the morning and right away there are streams of thought coming into your mind. You haven’t invited them, you didn’t ask for them, you are not consciously doing anything to produce them; they just come. They start talking to you. It is the old nature, discounting what God can do in your life.

The psalmist, says Lloyd-Jones, “stands up and says, ‘Self, listen for a moment. I will speak to you.’” God’s Word tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with you” (Genesis 26:24 and throughout Scripture), and “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). “Be of good cheer” is repeated in Matthew, Mark, John, and Acts. God also reassures us, “…all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). Let us allow God to renew our minds by dwelling on His promises.

Dear Lord, give me strength for today to listen to the new person in Christ within me, instead of my old, carnal nature. Let me rejoice as I consider Your promises in Christ Jesus, which are guaranteed by Your flawless character…

BY GOD’S STRENGTH, WE
ARE PEOPLE OF GOOD CHEER.