I have been weak, downcast, and spent, but Christ has never failed to strengthen, carry, and renew. Our Savior has a perfect record! So, when weak, look to the sufficiency of Christ. When downcast, look to the promises of Christ. When spent, look to the worthiness of Christ.

Or here’s another way to look at it:

--Psalm 42:5a - Why so downcast, O my soul?

--Soul - [pulls list from pocket] Well . . .

--Psalm 42:5b - Put your hope in God!

And God might use a brother or sister in Christ to this end: "God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus" (2 Corinthians 7:6).

May the great Reformer, Martin Luther, summarize this well for us today:

“I often suffer from severe trials and sorrows. At such times I seek the fellowship of men, for the humblest maid has often comforted me. A man doesn’t have control of himself when he is downcast and alone, even if he is well equipped with a knowledge of the Scriptures. It is not for nothing that Christ gathers his church around the Word and the sacraments and is unwilling to let these be hidden in a corner. Away with monks and hermits! These are inventions of Satan because they exist apart from all the godly ordinances and arrangements of God. . . . Accordingly, a solitary life should be avoided as much as possible.”

Source: Martin Luther, quoted in Luther’s Works: Table Talk, edited by Theodore G. Tappert (Philadelphia, 1967), page 268.

Father, thank you for comforting us when we're downcast. You don't deride us, chide us, or hide from us. You comfort us. You're "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3). Father, help us steward our own “downcast-ness.” May our default mode of withdrawal and isolation, or medicating in foolish ways, be replaced with running to you and collapsing on Jesus. In Jesus’ name – amen.