Tending to your soul

Twelve Psalms are given the superscription, “of the Sons of Korah”, or “A Maskil of the Korahites”, a maskil being a meditation, enlightened song or skillful poem. One such Psalm ascribed to this group of Levites who were the doorkeepers and musicians in the tabernacle and temple is Psalm 42.

Psalm 42 may seem like a song of lament with verse five which reads,

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? (NRSVUE)

And verse six,

My soul is cast down within me

But this Psalm is actually a reservoir of encouragement for anyone who is deeply disturbed and troubled.

Beloved, you must be vigilant in tending to your soul. If you are feeling despondent, like the Psalmist, question your soul.

At times you will struggle with feelings of dis-ease, and when you do, talk to your soul. A downcast soul prevents you from believing that God’s promises are not meant for you, or that you deserve them or perhaps you’ve convinced yourself that something you have done disqualifies you from receiving His blessings.

A disquieted soul can arouse anxiety which I am sure you have experienced or might be experiencing even now but Apostle Paul says,

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV)

And in Matthew 6:25-34 Jesus Himself says that we are not to be anxious about anything; not about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on…Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

He says that being anxious will not add a single hour to your life span. If you allow anxiety to persist it can crush you and take years off your life, also you deprive yourself of the person God created you to be and all that He has purposed you to offer to others. Furthermore, anxiety stifles your success and stunts your spiritual growth.

Thinking that you are not worthy or not good enough is not how God sees you. He made you in an amazing [awesome] and wonderful way (ref. Psalm 139:14 EXB), in His own image, reflecting His nature and His character; you are everything He is, and He has made it so and it all rests on His sufficiency.

This Psalm gave voice to the Psalmist’s feelings of utter discouragement and at the same time countered the disquiet of his soul by placing his hope in God, when he told his soul these words,

Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

What a beautiful anchor for your soul.

Beloved, hope is believing with confidence that God’s perfect plan for you will eventually happen; it’s an essential ingredient for tending to your soul. Your hope must be in God.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Tending to your soul” ©2026 January 24, 2026