Alleviates Bad Moods

"Gladden the soul of your servant. For to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul." Psalm 86:4

I can tell you this verse has been a life saver to me lately. Whenever I get down I just repeat this phrase over and over again either out loud or to myself. And whenever I do, I feel better. That's the power of meditation.

I don't even know what the verse means, but I've been meditating on it for two weeks. I'm pretty sure I'm just reading a little to deeply into it, but I can't help but think there is so much more beneath the surface, if I could just unlock it. What does it mean to have your soul gladdened? The NIV translation says "Bring joy," but for some reason I like the idea of gladdening. Why do we need to have God gladden it, if we're going to lift it up to him anyway?

Encarta defines gladden as, "to feel or cause somebody to feel cheerful and hopeful." So maybe what this passage is saying is: "Give hope to your servant, for you, Lord are in control." Teach me to trust in you, Lord. Teach me to meditate on your word.