Turning a Scowl into a Smile (Psalm 42:5/11; 43:5, 43:4)

by Rev. Jeremiah Cheung

When we encounter calamities, how should we conduct ourselves in light of the Truth? Today, let us learn a precious lesson from Psalm 42-43, how to turn our scowls into smiles.

I. Face difficulties with a positive attitude

Three times, the psalmist asked himself,`Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?’ What makes a man’s heart downcast? Why does man’s heart become disturbed?

In the light of a very bad situation, a great calamity, our hearts will naturally feel downcast, our hearts will naturally feel disturbed. This is but normal. But the more your heart is downcast, the more disturbed it will be, and before long, you will find yourself easily losing your temper. We must learn to use a positive attitude to face our difficulties. Is it possible to face difficulties with a positive attitude? The secret is in learning to speak to your own heart.

In Hebrew, the word comfort means ‘to speak to one’s heart’. Speaking to one’s heart is a very important way of finding true comfort. But, when we speak to our hearts, we must remind ourselves one thing – it is important what we speak to our hearts. In life, we will encounter many important moments which can transform our lives. One such moments is when we quiet ourselves and speak to our hearts.

When we face losses and difficulties, what do we tell ourselves? What we tell ourselves can influence our life. `This world is too unfair, I have never done anything against God and men, but this is what I get. This flood brought me heavy losses. I have helped others before, but today, there is no one to help me. This world is so unfair. I loved the Lord, yet He did not bless me. From now on, I will only live for myself, I will not care about other people anymore.’

Just imagine, if you speak such things to your heart, what kind of man will you become? You will become a selfish person. On the contrary, if you speak to yourself and say, ‘Although I had encountered great losses, but God, you are my God, I have no good thing apart from you. I believe under your grace, I can rise up again. If the old don’t go, then there won’t be new things coming in. There are many who need help in this world. I will be a blessing to others.’ If you speak to your heart this way, what kind of person will you become? You will become a loving person, a person sensitive to others’ needs.

II. Hold on Tightly to God, Never Let Go

Psalm 42:5/11 mentioned God 7 times, while, Psalm 43:4-5 mentioned God 9 times. The psalmist mentioned God 16 times in all. The psalmist is reminding us that the Lord is our God. Paul told the Church, “For us, there is but one God.”

Brothers and sisters, we have but one God, there is no other God. No matter what happens, we must hold on tightly to God, never letting go, because we have no other God. Job understood this truth very well. When he met his life’s greatest trial, he lost all his possessions, he lost all his children, and even his health, he did not forsake God.

He said, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” Men can take everything from us, but there is no one, no power that can take away our faith from us. The one thing I worry about, when brothers and sisters face difficulties, is that their faith may be shaken. I often ask the Lord to strengthen their faith. Holding on to God tightly, never letting go – this is what we need in the face of difficulties.

The relationship of Christ and the Church is like that of a bride and groom. This truth is written clearly in the book of Ephesians. During the wedding, a couple will exchange vows, “In riches or in poverty, in sickness or in health, in favourable or unfavourable circumstances, we will not part ways.” That is how it is with husbands and wives, there is no parting of ways. When the husband encounters difficulties or fails, the wife will stand by his side, never leaving him. When the wife meets problems, and fails, the husband is to be by her side, never leaving her. This is the true relationship in marriage.

An old man was waiting to see the doctor at a hospital. The doctor took a long time in coming. The old man seemed anxious. The nurse asked him, “Do you have other appointments?” to which the old man replied, “It is almost 12 noon, and the doctor has not yet arrived. I am afraid I can’t wait any longer, because I need to go home and have lunch with my wife.” The nurse teased him, saying, “Your wife won’t be able to eat if she doesn’t see you?” The old man said, “My wife has Alzheimer’s disease, she doesn’t remember me at all.” “Then why do you have to rush back home?” The old man replied, “It’s alright that she doesn’t remember me. What’s most important is that I recognize her, she is the one I love most, how can I abandon her?” He continued, “I guess I can’t wait any longer, I have to go. Please tell the doctor I will set another date to see him.” When the old man left, the nurse cried, she said to herself, “Someday, I want to marry someone like him.” Christ is our Husband, when we encounter difficulties, He will never leave us nor forsake us, but we must also hold on tightly to Him, never letting go.

III. Go to God, our joy and delight

Much joy is multiplied when one person shares his joy with others. Good food is made so much better when shared with a group of good friends. When you are downcast, and you go see another downcast person, you will become more downcast. You must go to a positive person, a joyful person, because his joy, his optimism will influence your own mood. The psalmist said, “When my heart is downcast, when my heart is disturbed within me, I will go to God, my joy and my delight.” God is not only the God of joy, He is the God of greatest joy. Proverbs says “A joyful heart is good medicine.” When you face difficulties and are in suffering, you must take the good medicine of joy. When we are downcast, we must go to the altar of God, we will then see the smiling face of God. When our face is downcast, and we find it hard to smile, the face of our heavenly Fathe shines upon us, He helps and comforts us.

The book of Philippians was written by Paul while he was in prison, but it was full of joy. The word `joy’ appeared 12 times in this letter. How can a person in jail have such great joy? Acts 16 records how Paul was imprisoned for sharing the gospel in Philippi. He was stripped and beaten. But in the middle of the night, Paul and Silas were praying and praising God. In such a difficult situation, they were singing praises to God, because they went into the presence of the God of joy. The Lord helped them with his gracious smile, as a result, they were able to sing in the middle of the night.

This is the amazing aspect of our faith. The psalmist said, “I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.” Where is the God of our joy and delight? At the altar. The altar is the place of prayer. If we want to see the face of God, we must pray. When we pray, we will experience the gracious help of God. When we meet difficulties, we must remember to go to the God of joy and delight. Where is He? He is at the altar. Have you prayed?

When our face is downcast, when we cannot even smile, please go to the altar of God. Let us go to the God of our joy and delight, there, we will find God’s gracious help; then, we will be able to have a positive attitude, hold tightly to God and face our difficulties.