God Will Break Through: Reflections on Psalm 42

The Bible App’s verse of the day today is Psalm 42:11. I don’t typically use the Bible app for the verse of the day. I’m currently working through The Upper Room Disciplines 2024: A Book of Daily Devotions, along with other study here and there, which keep me busy alone.

I opened the app to look for another Scripture I wanted to read, but this one caught my eye:

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?” (NLT) The psalmist begins.

I can relate.

Now that the verse has caught my eye, I want to read it in another version. I don’t typically start with the New Living Translation. (Nothing wrong with it; it’s just not my go-to.)

I choose the New American Standard Bible (2020). This one tugs at me even more:

Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.

Despair. Restlessness.

This is me right now. Not during every moment but in many moments lately.

It’s just that being unemployed for long has left me feeling all the feels: confusion and anger and a little sadness at first. A little bit of hopefulness for a little while. Then as the days and weeks and months dragged on, I began to feel frustrated, discouraged, defeated.

Enter negative self-talk:

What did I do wrong?
Perhaps you’re not as good at your job as you thought you were.
Maybe you’re not very smart.
You’re not enough.
You should have just done what everyone else told you to; you pushed too hard.
You should just sit down and shut up.
You’re too much.

Too much and not enough.

No one will ever hire you now; it’s been too long.
You’re not smart enough, good enough, talkative enough, funny enough…
There’s not enough time in the day to apply for all these jobs.
I’m never going to get everything done.
I’ll never measure up.
I’ll never keep up.
I’m a nobody.
We’re struggling financially.
We’re going to lose everything, and it will all be my fault.

On and on the spiral goes.

What I love about this verse is the second half: “Wait for God.”

Curious, I switch over to The Passion Translation. I just love how it words things sometimes:

So I say to my soul,
“Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed.
For I know my God will break through for me.”
Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise him all over again.
Yes, he is my saving grace!

“For I know my God will break through for me.”

I know my God will break through for me.

What joy, what hope this brings me today!

In 2022, my word for the year was “rejoice.” About halfway through the year, I felt the word “lament” come to me. I began to wonder: can joy and lamentation coexist?

The answer is yes.

I may be sad, discouraged, worn down, exhausted.

And yet.

I know my God will break through for me. This is reason to rejoice!

God doesn’t condemn me for how I am feeling right now, but I cannot stay there. I continually teach myself over and over how important it is to remind myself of what Scripture says is true. After all, “[His] word is truth.” (John 17:17)

I am not in control. (I may think I am some days, but clearly I’m not!) It’s my job to be faithful and to continue to work where I can, continue to use my gifts. And ultimately, it’s also my job to wait. Wait on God.

After all, “every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose.” – Romans 8:28, TPT.

I can have hope today in my ups and downs, in the waiting. Because God will break through for me.