Look Up or Look Out

“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” (Ps 43:5 AV)

 

To be cast down here means to be depressed to the point of weakness.  To be disquieted means to make loud noises of complaint.  Not necessarily words, but rather, like a moan or a woe.  Our beloved Psalmist is going through the mill.  The verse above is his way of chastening his own heart and mind.  Whatever he was going through, he felt it was not worthy of being cast down or disquieted in light of who and what God is.  Now, there are times we are permitted and even encouraged to be cast down and disquieted.  Two, in particular, come to mind.  When we mourn over our sin would be one.  When we mourn over the loss of a loved one would be another.  Obviously, the above situation is not one of these two.  The three little words in the center of that verse are the lesson of the whole verse.  Hope in God!  When we are cast down and disquieted, hope in God is the only thing that will get us out.  This includes the two situations mentioned above.

Of note this morning is comparing the state of David’s emotions and thoughts within himself to the place of relief; that is God; being outside of himself.  The Goonies is one of my all-time favorite movies.  It brings me back to my childhood.  Our little city actually did have a small cave system that had access points of which few knew.  The storyline of the movie is a close-knit group of young boys is trying to find the lost treasure of a pirate known as One-eyed Willie.  They came across a map while cleaning out an attic.  This hunt required they follow a trap-laden cave.  There were many perils along the way.  At one point, they came to a juncture, and at that place, there were old human remains.  They freak out.  They want out.  All of a sudden, they hear and see a coin fall from above.  It appears this junction in the cave is the location of the town wishing well.  Now knowing they could gain rescue, they began to call out for whoever the person or persons above might be.  They called for a rope.  Their rescue was not down in the cave.  It was from above.  All they had to do was to look up and the dire circumstances of their situation didn’t seem so hopeless.

When we are in difficult circumstances of life, the answers are not within.  They are upward.  We are in the pit.  So why do we think we can get ourselves out of the pit?  This is David’s point.  He is not disannulling his anguished state.  He is merely telling himself the answer for his troubles is not within his own heart and mind.  The answer to his troubles is to look up!  He must set his eyes upon God.  He must meditate in His word daily.  He must go to Him in prayer, pouring out his anxieties or fears.  He must trust what God says about Himself.  He must recognize God’s character and the plan He has for his life.  David must hope in God because he has no other alternative.  This particular psalm ends with this declaration to his own heart.  We don’t know how God answers.  But we know He did because David never again elaborates on his circumstances within this particular psalm.  To David, it was either look up or look out!