Why Are You So Low? A Lament Prayer (Psalm 42) | Evening Meditations

a quiet room to pray. Take one slow breath in and let it out. Tonight's lament is Psalm 42. My tears have been my food day and night. While people say to me all day long, where is your God? A few lines later, the writer talks to himself. 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." Notice what the writer does. He talks to his own soul. He asks, "Why are you so low?" And he asks it honestly, before he lands on hope. Maybe tears came today or wanted to and didn't. That's okay. Four steps. One, ask your own soul, "Why are you so low tonight? Then listen." Two, tell God what hurts. Plain words. Three, name what you've lost. A person. A year. A version of yourself. Four, if you can, say it. I will put my hope in God. If you can't yet, say, "I want to." Let's pray. God, I'm low tonight and you know why. Hold what I lost. Hold me. I want to hope in you, even if it's small. Amen. Amen. Rest when you can. You are not forgotten. Amen. Amen.