A
news article reported the frightening experience a woman had as she
spent a day with friends on a boat. She was tossed overboard when the
boat hit a large wave. At first, she didn’t think this was
dangerous. She thought the boat could easily circle back to pick her
up.
But
this occurred late in the day, as the sun was setting. The low-angle
sunlight was reflected by every wave, making it nearly impossible for
searchers to spot her. Then a stiff wind, combined with the sounds of
other boats, muffled her cries for help.
As
night quickly fell, she knew that her only hope was to swim to a
nearby island, and she was eventually rescued from there. The article
reported that as she swam, she did two things: she pleaded with Jesus
to help her, and she told herself repeatedly that she was going to
survive.
That
sounds similar to what the writer is doing in Psalm 42. As he prays
earnestly to God, he also tells himself to put his hope in God.
Sometimes prayer includes this kind of self-talk. As we plead with
God, we preach to ourselves.
When
you pray, tell yourself to believe and trust in God! Sometimes we
need to hear the gospel spoken to us by the sound of our own voice.