December 1, 2014 – Smriti "Simmi" D. Isaac

“Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.”

Psalm 42:11 MSG – A verse of the day from the Bible presented in Eugene Peterson’s contemporary version called The Message. Accompanied by a personal reflection below.

There’s acknowledgement and then there’s optimism. Acknowledgement to the human nature of feeling “down in the dumps”. But David, the Psalmist, doesn’t believe in staying down there. Instead, he says, “fix your eyes on God”. Is that simple enough for you? Stop looking at yourself and focus on God instead. He predicts quite the transformation that includes singing praises and smiles. Give it a try!