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.