Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Psalm 42:5 NIV

In this Psalm, we see the psalmist speaking directly to himself. How odd. 

The more I thought about it though, the more I realized, the psalmist is actually being his own worship leader. He is not waiting for a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night service. He’s not waiting for the “skilled musicians” to bang on the drums or let out some epic notes of praise. This psalmist is writing from a downcast place (seen in Psalm 42:6) but is reminding himself in the middle of it that God refreshes his soul and that only the Lord can satisfy. As the psalmist brings forth his lament, he also reminds himself to place his hope in God, praising him.

Worship in the secret place brought about the breakthrough that this writer in Psalms was so desperately in need of. 

There are plenty of examples of people throughout the Bible who’ve taken the initiative to become the worship leader of their own heart in a time of need. 

Paul reminds us in Thessalonians that God is worthy of praise in all circumstances. There is no better way to stir up your faith than coming before God with thankfulness. 

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thes 5:16-18 

Believe it or not, some of my greatest moments of worship leading happen in my own home. I’ll put a song on full blast and dance around with my daughter declaring the truths of redemption and revival. Or I’ll sit on my bed in the stillness of the evening crying out to God, declaring His goodness even in the stresses of life. 

So, I encourage you today to be your own worship leader!

1. Have a dance party of praise in your kitchen.

2. Sing your heart out in the car.

3. Whisper songs of remembrance at your workplace.

You are your own worship leader! You don’t need to wait for Sunday morning. Everything you need to lavish your love on God is in you. He’s waiting in the secret place to lavish His love on you. All that you need to receive from Him is an open heart.

Consider these scriptures this week and be encouraged as you take the place of worship leader in your own home! 

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. John 4:23-24

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17

May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (GNT)

Hope isn’t just wishful thinking -  it’s confident expectation. I don’t know about you but I EXPECT TO SEE THE LORD MOVE this week! I believe the Kingdom of God is still advancing, no matter what happens here on election day or anywhere else. 

Remember, hope comes from the Lord - not from a political candidate, not from policy, and not from anything else for that matter! The Bible says that God is our source of hope. Therefore, I place my hope in Him alone. No matter who wins today, no matter what happens, I expect to continue to see the Kingdom of God advance!

Here are two good signs that your hope is growing in these days: 

1. You are filled with JOY. Joy comes when we delight ourselves in the presence of the Lord. To be filled with joy means it runs over. If we are filled with joy, we can’t contain it. So, others around us will notice it and even be impacted by it. The Bible tells us the joy of the Lord is our strength! Come on! If you are excited about the presence of God today, I bet your hope is growing!

2. You are filled with PEACE. Peace is the ability to rest and fellowship in the middle of a war. It has nothing to do with the absence of a battle and everything to do with trust in God in it. For believers, peace is remembering that the battle isn’t ours, but rather His! And I have good news, He’s never lost a battle. If you find yourself walking in peace during these uncertain times, I bet your hope is growing!

The Bible also tells us that hope deferred makes the heart sick. Feel sick living in days like these? There is hope. Here are three things you need to do today to get your hopes up:

1. Pray: Be honest with God about how you feel. Repent for focusing more on the problem than the Problem Solver. Then ask God, more specifically, Holy Spirit, the source of hope, to fill you with joy and peace. 

2. Worship: Begin to sing worship songs… out loud! Turn the tunes on and begin to love on God. Give Him your undivided attention and watch your hope grow. Put on a song that you love to sing to the Lord. I’m listening to “Get Your Hopes Up” by Josh Baldwin while I’m writing this. 

3. Find a scripture and meditate on it. Try to memorize it. The enemy will plant lies in your mind in an attempt to make you hopeless. The only way to combat a lie is with a truth. His word is the truth! Romans 15:13 is a pretty good one. So is Hebrews 6:19, Jeremiah 29:11, and a whole bunch more! You go take a look for yourself. 

Father, I thank you for being our source of hope today and every day! Holy Spirit, help us to get our HOPES UP, filling us with peace and joy today. No matter what happens, your kingdom shall continue to advance!