Hi, it's David Platt. Have you signed up for Secret Church 25 yet? It's happening online, April 11th,

and I would love for you to join us. We're going to spend six hours together studying the book of

Matthew, discovering how to make our lives count for what matters most, and praying for our

persecuted family around the world. Prices go up after February 25th, so register today at radical.net slash

SC25. I'd love to see you there. Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical.net.

Psalm chapter 42, verse 5. Why are you cast down, oh my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God.

For I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. That's Psalm 42 verse 5. It's also Psalm 42

verse 11. And it's Psalm 43 verse 5.

Same verse as these two Psalms go together.

And that verse is so important and helpful for us to hear.

Let me read it one more time and pause along the way to help us understand

what the psalmist is saying. Why are you cast down, oh my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me?

It is clear that the psalmist here is struggling in his faith.

And we need to have a category for this for struggling Christians because we are all them.

Christians throughout history, this is part of what I love about the Psalms, have walked

through struggles in their faith and struggles in this fallen world. So when you are struggling

in your faith, you're not an oddity. This is normal in a fallen world. But that's what I love

so much about these couple of chapters in this verse specifically, because the psalmist is talking to

himself. He's saying, why are you cast down on my soul?

Why are you in turmoil within me? Why are you struggling? And then he tells himself, hope in God.

For I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. This is so important. We need to learn to talk to ourselves instead of just listening to ourselves

when we're walking through struggles. Because if we're not careful, especially in struggle,

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