Preaching to myself - "hope in God!"

I read Psalms 42 and 43 this morning. One verse is repeated three times.  It jumped out at me the first time.  By the third time I was getting the message!

'Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God, for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God'  Psalm 42 v 5 and 11 and Psalm 43 v 5

I really identify with the first two lines of this verse. As I've battled with depression over the past year, one of my struggles has been with feeling I shouldn't be feeling low because I don't really have anything properly difficult or tough in my life.  But if I stop here, beating myself up for feeling down, I just end up feeling more rubbish about myself.

What is the way out of this pit?  Looking up. Looking at my God, my Saviour, my Rescuer. It doesn't matter how feeble or pathetic I am. What matters is how great, mighty, loving and powerful He is.  When I focus on how incredible He is, my soul is lifted. I begin to praise Him and I find in Him the hope and strength I need for this moment.

What is the significance of this verse coming three times?  Because we need to keep preaching to ourselves. Keep reminding ourselves to hope in God!  Many times a day, we need to tell ourselves "Hope in God!" He is the mighty God. My salvation comes from him. It does not depend on my goodness or effort but on His great faithfulness and love.  Hallelujah!

"I lift up my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth" Psalm 121 v 1, 2