Psalm 43

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

(Psalm 43:5)

Is the psalmist talking to himself? It appears so… but it isn’t a bad thing in this situation. He asks two questions of himself, and they are questions it might serve us well to ask ourselves.

His first question is “why are you cast down, o my soul?” The word cast down means to stoop or bend low. It seems that this stooping or bending down has to do with a burden or weight of one sort or another that the person is carrying. In this instance, the psalmist is asking his soul why it seems to be bent so low. At times we may feel depressed, weighed down, like we can’t go on any longer. The reasons for this are numerous, and that is what the psalmist asks here… “What’s up? Why are you so down?”

The next question he asks is similar. He says once again to his soul, “Why are you disquieted within me” The word disquieted means to growl, howl, or cry out. The Psalmist says, “What has so provoked you soul, that you react this way?” Once again, many things can bring about this kind of feeling.

The interesting thing that the Psalmist does now is this: rather than answering his questions he casts them in a new light. He says HOPE IN GOD. You see, no matter what burden you carry, or what has caused you to cry out, God is SO MUCH GREATER. If we place our hope in God, the burden is lessened, our soul is comforted, and we are restored to the spiritual state we need to be. The psalmist calls God the “help of his countenance”. The idea is that God causes him to be full of hope, changing His appearance from despair to hopefulness, Joy, and strength.

In the midst of even the most difficult circumstances, we can have HOPE. If we will remember who God is, what He has done, what He will do, and what He thinks about us and our situation; then we will no longer be as overwhelmed. The introduction of the eternal to the problems we face always changes things. So, let the Lord be the Lord of your life, and place your hope in Him today. If you do, you may be surprised at the way He “helps your countenance”. e says once again to jh