Psalm 42:5 "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."
I
saved this one until last, but it in in no way least important. If anything,
this very regarding encouragement is in my estimation, the most important of
all. Why? We hear so much about how we glorify ourselves and repent of
self-righteous, self-condemnation, self-pity, selfishness, self-protection - I'm
sure we can all think of more - and then if they're still active, maybe
repent?
The Psalmists (the sons of Korah) were questioning why
their soul (mind or will or emotions or all anything mixture of them) was
disquieted within them. In the New King James Version, the verse goes on to
say, 'Hope in God, for I shall yet praise
Him for the help of His countenance.' They
knew something about God. That no matter what was going in their lives, no
matter what their emotions or their minds were telling them, that the answer was
in the Lord God.
A word about emotions. Contrary
to popular belief, emotions are not bad. Emotions are good, evern the 'bad'
ones. They let us know that something is wrong. Granted, emotions are
sometimes, influenced by the enemey, but even then they are still telling us
that something is wrong. Emotions can also be good in that they can allow us
to feel happy, eletated, joyful, thankful, greatful, wonder, awe, etc.
Sometimes people tell us that 'you shouldn't go by your emotions, stop letting
them lead you'. What is compassion, it's sympathy, empathy for another person -
emotions. Since we're made in the image of God, then He has emotions and He
gives us emotions to help us, not to hinder
us.
How many of us have seen THIS picture. I'm not discounting
it - so take a minute and cool off. We're led by the Spirit of Truth. Fact
could be called Truth (the Word of God). Faith or Trust in what God has said
- Who He says He is and we who are in Him) follows because we believe the Truth,
since it IS true. Our Feelings or Emotions follow because they are to be in
line with our trust in God and His Truth.
Having said that, our emotions should not lead or drive us,
but they are a useful tool in the hand of God to show us what we need to
take of. So, to say to someone, stop going by your emotions, doesn't really
help.... unless they help us to know what to do with those emotions. Oh, it's
easy for me to stuff them back down and be a good little Christian like certain
people have wanted me to in the past - but that's not right either. The Lord
wants us to experience what we're feeling, come to Him (whether it directly or
indirectly through a trustworthy friend) and let Him tell us why they are
there. If it's the enemy - then get rid of it; if it's a wound, then it can be
healed; if it's our own self-whatever, then repent, then many times under the
repentance there's also healing of some wound.
Please take this in the way it's intended - not in some
sarcastic 'trying to rock the boat' way (although rock the boat sometimes isn't
bad). Sometimes, yes, we do need to hear 'get your eyes into the Word and onto
Jesus'. But also knowing that sometimes, the Lord allows us to feel or even
have a lack of feelings to put us on notice that something is wrong and it needs
fixed. So, just hearing someone say to 'stop it' - sometimes really doesn't
help, but makes our hearts even more downcast - it's like salt in a wound.
When are emotions are all that we are focused on - we need
a encouragement from a friend or directly from the Lord - a still, small voice
or His Word. Our focus is supposed to be on Jesus and Truth.... and some of us
eventually will get there.... because sometimes it doesn't happen overnight (as
in grief, depression, etc.). If we don't have any emotions, then we need to let
the Lord 'fix' that also... because we were made with
emotions.
The main point is that we can talk to ourselves and speak
the Truth to ourselves while we are going through what we are going through.
Our HOPE is in the Lord our Father and sometimes through His servants. Then one
day we look look in the mirror or others look into our eyes or our face and see
our countenance is changing or has changed. Our help and our hope comes from
the Lord. Let's begin to encourage ouselves... why are we down in the dumps...
with the stinky trash? Our God is greater and our hope is in Him because "from
Him and through Him and in Him are all things" that we need. "To Him be glory
forever. Amen" Romans 11:36.
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
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