I Am Unhappy: Finding Joy When My Heart Is Heavyનમૂનો

Preach Truth to Yourself

We often think other people are the ones who need preaching. But the person who needs biblical truth the most is usually the one living inside your own head.

David understood this well. In Psalm 42, he doesn’t just cry out to God – he speaks directly to his own soul:

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God.” – Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

David realized something important: Sadness tells stories. Truth corrects them.

When we are discouraged, our thoughts often drift toward lies:

“God doesn’t care about me.”

“This will never get better.”

”My joy is gone for good.”

”Everyone else has hope except me.”

Those thoughts feel real. They feel powerful. But feelings don’t always speak truth.

So David does what we must also learn to do – he interrupts the spiral. He challenges the narrative. He replaces despair with hope grounded in the character of God.

He reminds himself:

• God is faithful
• God does save
• God will come through

Even though his emotions hadn’t caught up yet.

We see this throughout Scripture. When Jeremiah felt crushed by suffering, he preached this truth to his own heart:

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.” – Lamentations 3:21–22 (NIV)

Jeremiah’s circumstances didn’t suddenly improve. The city was still destroyed. The pain was still real. But joy returned when he spoke God’s promises louder than his fears.

What we rehearse affects what we believe.
What we meditate on shapes our mood.
What we tell ourselves forms our future.

This is why Paul urges us:

“Take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

When a lie surfaces – capture it.
When fear speaks – confront it.
When hopelessness whispers – counter it with Scripture.

Here’s the truth you can preach to yourself today:

• God loves me right now
• God is with me right now
• God is working right now
• God has a future for me bigger than today’s sadness

You may not feel joy instantly. That’s okay.

Trust doesn’t erase emotion – it redirects it. As faith replaces fear, joy will eventually rise again.

So speak truth today.
Say it out loud if you need to.
Repeat it as many times as your heart requires.

Tell your soul what David told his: “Put your hope in God.”

Because where there is even a small seed of hope, God is already growing your joy.