“Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?”
Psalm 42:5a
“Why are you always talking about sin, Chap?” a soldier will occasionally ask me.
“Well,” I might respond, “why is it a problem to talk about sin? Why does it bother you?” The reality is that we’re all thinking about sin all the time. It’s just that we often work hard to ignore it.
When people say, “I just need to work on myself,” what are they referring to? What do they need to work on? We all recognize that there is a problem, don’t we? We are all concerned about the turmoil within our own souls. But we flee for safety in avoidance without understanding what it is we are running from. And if we don’t know what we’re running from, where do we flee for safety?
Those disturbing feelings within are not the problem. They are the breadcrumbs that take us back on the pathway to where the problem began. We feel guilty because we are guilty. Let’s question our souls with the psalmist. These are not comfortable questions, but they drive us to the only answer that brings comfort—Jesus Christ. Instead of hiding our sin, let’s hide in Him.
“Well,” I might respond, “why is it a problem to talk about sin? Why does it bother you?” The reality is that we’re all thinking about sin all the time. It’s just that we often work hard to ignore it.
When people say, “I just need to work on myself,” what are they referring to? What do they need to work on? We all recognize that there is a problem, don’t we? We are all concerned about the turmoil within our own souls. But we flee for safety in avoidance without understanding what it is we are running from. And if we don’t know what we’re running from, where do we flee for safety?
Those disturbing feelings within are not the problem. They are the breadcrumbs that take us back on the pathway to where the problem began. We feel guilty because we are guilty. Let’s question our souls with the psalmist. These are not comfortable questions, but they drive us to the only answer that brings comfort—Jesus Christ. Instead of hiding our sin, let’s hide in Him.
Scripture Focus
Psalm 42
Insight
“Hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 42:5b-6a)
Bible In A Year
- 2 Chronicles 5-6
- Psalm 10
- Matthew 14-15