Psalms 43
Psalms 43:1-5 (NLT)
1 Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars.
2 For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?
3 Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.
4 There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!
5 Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!
If there is a reason for despair and discouragement, even in the face of great adversity, it isn’t because of a failure on God’s part. In turning to God, proclaiming His praise, and requesting His light’s shining, hope is placed once again where it will not be shaken or moved. Even before the circumstances are affected, the head is lifted in the praise of God, it’s from this place that salvation comes. It’s not God’s movement that turns the corner, but it’s our initiation and acknowledgment of what He’s already done and is doing that transforms the perspective of the heart.