The Journey from Turmoil to Trust

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
And why art thou disquieted in me?
Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him,
who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

Some days, life simply doesn’t feel good.
Some days the troubles seem endless, confusion grows thick, and hiding feels a thousand times easier than praying.
Some days God feels far away, and I sit wondering what’s ahead—
while my thoughts spill and swirl like a fountain, overwhelming and overflowing with no end in sight.

But it’s in moments like these that God gently brings Psalm 42 back to my attention.
This psalm is a mirror—an invitation to honest self-reflection, to face fears and feelings head-on, even in the depths of despair. It calls me to a steadfast faith that stands firm in the middle of doubts, worries, and spiritual discouragements. It urges me to confront despair by choosing to:

  1. Trust God completely
  2. Remember His past faithfulness
  3. Lift my eyes and praise Him—my rescuer, my healer, my personal God

Even when my feelings insist otherwise.

Psalm 42 reminds me that David knew inner turmoil (oh, how I understand that word) intimately. Instead of burying it or hoping it would fade on its own, he walked through it—anchoring himself not in emotion or circumstance, but in the unchanging character of God. He spoke truth over his own soul.

“I shall yet praise Him” is a declaration of victory over the storm inside.
When life feels perplexing and discouraging, this is the secret:
to praise God in the sunshine and in the shadows, to rejoice when joy comes easily and when nothing seems praiseworthy at all. As Psalm 5:11 says:

“Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice… let them ever shout for joy… let them also that love Thy name be joyful in Thee.”

We can praise through the shadows because our God carries us, He loves us, and He truly knows us, our thoughts, and our feelings.
We can trust Him – always.
(But I’ll save the deeper dive into that verse for another reflection I’m already excited about.)

“The health of my countenance” tells me that God alone is the source of inner peace, joy, restoration, stability—every good and perfect gift. True happiness is found in trusting Him. He can lift a fallen face, steady a trembling heart, and turn despair into prayer and praise. Someone special reminded me recently that feelings do not have to dictate reality. When we lift our eyes to Jesus, the troubles of this world grow strangely dim—praise God!!!

Psalm 42 becomes a model for the days that feel less than ideal—a pathway from heaviness and restlessness toward hope, gratitude, and trust. It teaches me to speak truth to my soul, to talk faith rather than simply listening to the roaring noise of fear, lies, and discouragement. It calls me to remember who God is, who I am in Him, the promises I stand on, and the purposes He is working out—even in the hard places. And it urges me to speak that same truth to others, lifting them toward hope and away from despair.

And here are the application points I’m holding onto:

  1. Acknowledge my feelings
    Be honest with myself and with God.
  2. Challenge my soul
    Ask “why?”—then counter with the truth of Scripture.
  3. Anchor in God
    Fix my focus on His unchanging promises, not my shifting circumstances.
  4. Choose to praise
    CHOOSE to praise and let it become an act of holy defiance against despair, trusting God to restore peace, rest, and joy in every circumstance and to strengthen me to continue in it.
    As Paul says, “Rejoice always.”

And the prayer of my heart is….
God, help me trust You always, to speak faith, and to lift my eyes to You—even when everything around me feels like it’s falling apart.

And I hold close these reminders:

“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us.”
— Prophets and Kings, p. 31

“Christ has given us no promise of help in bearing today the burdens of tomorrow.”
— The Ministry of Healing, p. 481

“When everything looks dark and the soul is bowed down with discouragement, look to Jesus.”
— Messages to Young People, p. 107

“The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves.”
— Steps to Christ, p. 118

“You are not your own; you are bought with a price. You are precious.”
— Adapted from Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 57

Responses

  1. Jacques Ntihaniraho Avatar
    Jacques Ntihaniraho

    Amen and Amen!

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Kimberly Avatar
    Kimberly

    Sometimes I read Psalm 42 and realize the most courageous part isn’t the praise line, it’s the fact that David tells the truth about his inner weather without treating it like spiritual failure. That helps me, because on rough days I can turn my heaviness into a verdict: something must be wrong with me, or I must be far from God. But your post reminded me that being “cast down” can simply mean I’m human… and still held. One thing I keep thinking about is how David talks to his soul the way a good shepherd talks to a scared sheep—firm, but gentle. He doesn’t yell at himself. He doesn’t pretend. He just refuses to let panic be the loudest voice in the room. That’s such a different approach than the way I sometimes handle my own emotions—either I drown in them, or I try to shut them down. This feels like a third way, a better way: let the feelings speak, then let truth speak louder. And honestly, the hardest part for me is waiting in the shadows without getting cynical. I can do a “faith moment” for a little bit. But when the season drags on, I start bargaining, or bracing, or numbing out. So this is a much needed reminder that trust is a posture I return to, over and over, like coming back to the same altar and saying, “Lord, I don’t feel strong, but I’m still here.” I also loved what you said about “the health of my countenance,” because that verse makes me picture God lifting someone’s face… not fixing their life in five minutes, but restoring them from the inside out. Like peace that doesn’t depend on the forecast. And that’s hope to me: that disquiet doesn’t have to be my home address.

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