O my God, my soul is cast down within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the Hill Mizar.
Psalm 42:6
Recommended Reading: 1 Samuel 30:6
Think of all the ways we keep track of the past: photo albums, folders of papers related to important events, personal diaries or journals, keepsakes and mementos from years gone by, and more. When we are discouraged about our present circumstances, looking back over the past can encourage us.
That same practice can help us spiritually when we experience discouragement. By remembering and reviewing how God has sustained us in the past, we find hope in our present circumstances. The writer of Psalm 42 used his memories of God’s faithfulness in the past to sustain him at a time when his soul was “cast down.” The longer we walk with God, the more memories we will have about His faithfulness in the past—and, therefore, the more reasons we will have to trust Him in the present and in the future.
When you find your soul cast down within you, take time to remember how God has sustained you in the past. Let God’s faithfulness in the past give you hope for the future.
How worthy it is to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new!
Stephen Charnock
