Are you paying attention to your heart? This weekend Pastor Steve Andres began our January series, RENEW.
Psalm 42:1
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
In the middle of affliction and discouragement, the psalmist paints a picture of thirst that is neither pretty nor dignified. What do we do when we find ourselves distant and disconnected from God?
1) Pour out your prayer.
When we have exhausted ourselves in other pursuits, God still hears our prayers. The psalmist has nowhere else to turn, so his song is his prayer. C.S. Lewis called it “divine humility”, that God would welcome us to himself even though we have waited to turn to him. It is never too late to pray.
2) Pay attention to your heart.
Have a conversation with your heart. The psalmist asks, “Why are you so downcast, my soul?” Turn your attention to your heart in honesty and curiosity. What choices or behaviors are attempts at escape? Are you naming the problem or are you numbing the problem? Ultimately, you are asking your heart where it has placed its hope.
3) Practice remembering God’s faithfulness.
Think of how many times God has shown his love and kindness to you, even though you didn’t deserve it. The psalmist reflects back on the good moments when he experienced the love and joy of God’s presence, and it was a reminder of God’s covenant love.
4) Preach to your soul.
The conversation shifts from listening to speaking, when the psalmist addresses his own heart. How often do you speak to your own soul and instruct it to “hope in God”? We never graduate from the Good News of God’s saving love in Christ – it is both are starting point and our finish line. So preach the Gospel to your heart every day in 2025!
Psalm 42:11
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.
