{"id":4149,"date":"2017-10-11T11:35:11","date_gmt":"2017-10-11T15:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/?p=4149"},"modified":"2017-10-11T11:35:28","modified_gmt":"2017-10-11T15:35:28","slug":"a-prayer-from-the-doldrums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2017\/10\/a-prayer-from-the-doldrums.html","title":{"rendered":"A Prayer From the Doldrums"},"content":{"rendered":"

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,<\/strong><\/em>
\n and through each night I sing his songs,<\/strong><\/em>
\n praying to God who gives me life. (Psalm 42:8 NLT)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"rear-view-of-woman-looking-down-bw\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you ever tried to praise your way out of the doldrums? It\u2019s not an easy task. But did you know that the highest praise comes from those who sing from the lowest valley? It\u2019s like receiving a gift from a really poor person; knowing the sacrifice that person made makes the gift all that much more valuable.<\/p>\n

The Psalmist was deeply discouraged when he wrote this Scripture. Twice he tries to talk to himself out of his depression:<\/p>\n

Why am I discouraged?<\/strong><\/em>
\n Why is my heart so sad?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI will put my hope in God!<\/strong><\/em>
\n I will praise him again\u2014<\/strong><\/em>
\n my Savior and my God! (Psalm 42:5 and 11)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When our lives aren\u2019t going as planned, when we hit obstacles, road blocks, and dead ends, instead of giving up, throwing in the towel, and complaining to everyone who will listen, try to do what this Psalm-writer did: try a little self-talk.<\/p>\n

His self-talk consisted of some difficult but helpful methods. As we often do when we are depressed, he talked about the good ol\u2019 days when life was hunky dory. But he doesn\u2019t stay focused there; he shifts his focus from the bygone days to the future through eyes of hope. He realizes that at some future point, he won’t feel this way anymore, and he will have things to rejoice about once again.<\/p>\n

First, he realizes that what he is really thirsty for is not so much breakthrough as it is for God Himself. He is longing for intimacy with his God. Currently, the drink of choice is his own tears, but ultimately he knows he is desperate\u00a0to drink in the presence of God.<\/p>\n

He also realizes that while he doesn\u2019t necessarily feel God\u2019s love surrounding him, it is real nonetheless. And even when he isn\u2019t aware of it, God\u2019s love is being poured over him every single day, and every single night God\u2019s songs are ringing in his ears.<\/p>\n

Depression is real. This writer\u2019s emotions are real. He sings an honest song, a desperate song to His God, asking real questions like, \u201cWhere are You?\u201d But laced in his honest reflections, he speaks truth, that God loves him still, and He will never stop.<\/p>\n

Are you downcast? Are you bearing the weight of some heavy situations in your life? Then pray this simple prayer with our friend the Psalmist. When we praise God in spite of our depression, we offer Him a sacrifice of praise more valuable to Him than anything else, and praise can be the key to joy once again.<\/p>\n

As the deer longs for streams of water,<\/strong><\/em>
\n so I long for you, O God.<\/strong><\/em>
\n I thirst for God, the living God.<\/strong><\/em>
\n When can I go and stand before him?<\/strong><\/em>
\n Day and night I have only tears for food,<\/strong><\/em>
\n while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,<\/strong><\/em>
\n \u201cWhere is this God of yours?\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\n My heart is breaking<\/strong><\/em>
\n as I remember how it used to be:<\/strong><\/em>
\nI walked among the crowds of worshipers,<\/strong><\/em>
\n leading a great procession to the house of God,<\/strong><\/em>
\nsinging for joy and giving thanks<\/strong><\/em>
\n amid the sound of a great celebration!<\/strong><\/em>
\n Why am I discouraged?<\/strong><\/em>
\n Why is my heart so sad?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI will put my hope in God!<\/strong><\/em>
\n I will praise him again\u2014<\/strong><\/em>
\n my Savior and my God!<\/strong><\/em>
\nNow I am deeply discouraged,<\/strong><\/em>
\n but I will remember you\u2026<\/strong><\/em>
\n I hear the tumult of the raging seas<\/strong><\/em>
\n as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.<\/strong><\/em>
\nBut each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,<\/strong><\/em>
\n and through each night I sing his songs,<\/strong><\/em>
\n praying to God who gives me life. \u201cO God my rock,\u201d I cry,<\/strong><\/em>
\n \u201cWhy have you forgotten me?<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhy must I wander around in grief,<\/strong><\/em>
\n oppressed by my enemies?\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\nTheir taunts break my bones.<\/strong><\/em>
\n They scoff, \u201cWhere is this God of yours?\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
\nWhy am I discouraged?<\/strong><\/em>
\n Why is my heart so sad?<\/strong><\/em>
\nI will put my hope in God!<\/strong><\/em>
\n I will praise him again\u2014<\/strong><\/em>
\n my Savior and my God!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Photo credit:\u00a0Foter.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. (Psalm 42:8 NLT) Have you ever tried to praise your way out of the doldrums? It\u2019s not an easy task. But did you know that the highest praise comes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":478,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,15,7,4,25,3,1],"tags":[274,2231,355,2093,2232],"class_list":["post-4149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-bible-prayer","category-daily-prayer","category-god","category-jesus","category-prayer","category-uncategorized","tag-depression","tag-doldrums","tag-praise","tag-praying-the-psalms","tag-psalmist"],"yoast_head":"\nA Prayer From the Doldrums<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/prayerplainandsimple\/2017\/10\/a-prayer-from-the-doldrums.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Prayer From the Doldrums\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. 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