I am Cast Down!

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul?" Psalm 43:5.

Are these your words this morning, dear one? And why are you thus?

You say,

"In light of the holy Lord's Supper, my burden is too great to bear. Everything I do is so imperfect. Every plan I make comes to nothing. The soot of life soon clouds the hope of seeing brighter days. My heart is so incredibly sinful. If I've learned anything lately, it's that my life is very unlike Jesus'. My temperament is so unholy, my prayers brief and empty, and my praise sputtering and weak. I do so little good. I'm a mere shadow of what I hoped to be. My fruit is so small; my evidence is so dim. I am an enigma, a bafflement, a bundle of contradictions. Is it any wonder that I am cast down?"

These are enough to cast anyone down. But if you carry each of them to the Throne of Grace, one by one, confess them before God, and look to Jesus as Savior, you will not long be cast down.

I know it is difficult to do this. Some of us have a natural proneness to pore over gloomy things. Who reading this can freely admit that they sometimes like to indulge in forlorn thoughts? And Satan loves it when we do. Because when we are so taken with failures and doubt, we can’t see the devil’s plans, nor quench his fiery darts. No, dear one, we must look away from ourselves. Because if we fix our eyes only on our weakness and inadequacy, our grief will outperform our hope. We will only become more nervous, more doubtful, and gloomier. But looking unto Jesus, what a sight for sore sinful eyes! He knows what we are. Jesus knew what we were long before He called us by His grace. When did He love us? He loved us as sinners. When did He die for us? He died for us as sinners. When did He call us? He called us as sinners. When did He save us? He saves us as sinners. To whom did He give His blessed Supper? To sinners, sinners, sinners! Are you still cast down?

Yes, we are but frail and feeble vessels upon a dark sea. True, we are surrounded by the sholes of our countless imperfections and flaws. But do not fear, cast down one. Our Captain is mighty and strong and will guide us safely through every storm and tempest. Hope in God, dear trembling soul. If you must doubt, doubt your doubts, not your Savior. For His mercy is great, His grace is free, and His love is unchanging. And rest assured that He will keep us, not for any merit of our own, but for his own sake and his own glory. Oh, what a blessed hope we have in Christ! Let us feast at His blessed table together.