Sometimes you just have to go back to what you know. We all struggle in life. Hard times come to everyone. The question is how will we handle them?
When you are going through a rough time, do you complain? When you get bad news, do you begin to worry? That is completely normal. However, God did not call His people to be normal. He called us to be different (Colossians 3:1-4). We have the power of God on our side. So when bad things happen, we can praise God anyway. It is a choice: give in to fear, or worship Him and let His peace guard our heart (Phil 4:7).
The writer of Psalm 42 was struggling. His enemies were taunting him. He thought God may have forgotten him. Yet, he decided to trust and to praise God anyway. No matter how long the struggle, he was going to choose to worship. No matter how dark it seemed, He had made his decision. He would worship the One for whom his soul longed.
Sometimes, in the middle of our pain, we just have to go back to what we know and ignore the rest. God is good. He is faithful. He has a plan and He will see us through. Praise Him anyway.
Lord, remind me of your love and faithfulness in the middle of the struggle. Even when it is hard, Lord, I will worship you. Amen.
Go deeper — write out a list of five characteristics of God and put it where you will see it to remind you daily of who God is.