In The Word
Read: Psalms 42-43
Thirsting for God in Trouble and Exile.
For the music director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah.
42 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
4 I remember these things and pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go over with the multitude and walk them to the house of God,
With a voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating a festival.
5 Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
6 My soul is in despair within me;
Therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan
And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
All Your breakers and Your waves have passed over me.
8 The Lord will send His goodness in the daytime;
And His song will be with me in the night,
A prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries taunt me,
While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
Prayer for Help.
43 Vindicate me, God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation;
Save me from the deceitful and unjust person!
2 For You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me?
Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 Send out Your light and Your truth, they shall lead me;
They shall bring me to Your holy hill
And to Your dwelling places.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
To God my exceeding joy;
And I will praise You on the lyre, God, my God.
5 Why are you in despair, my soul?
And why are you restless within me?
Wait for God, for I will again praise Him
For the help of His presence, my God.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
The two chapters in today’s reading seem to be connected and may have originally been one poem. The writer expresses that he has found himself at a place in life where he is tired, distressed, and empty. Can you relate? If we are not careful, the difficulties of life can rob us of the good things of God like peace and joy, so that we feel dry and weary. It does not help in those times if we have people around us who say, “Where is your God?” (42:3, 10), or question, “If God really loves us, then why would we be in a difficult situation?” Even within ourselves, we can wonder if God is against us or has forgotten us.
The author recognizes that these questions are wrong (42:5, 11, 43:5), and just because the difficult situation exists, it has nothing to do with God being with us or not. He recognizes that the solution is not to blame God, so he corrects his thoughts to focus on God because he loves, trusts, and needs Him.
God has blessed us with feelings and emotions, but if we are not careful we can listen to them and they can lead our hearts and minds away from God. So we should not follow feelings; rather we should follow God and our commitment to Him. In these moments we must speak to our soul and tell it to “Be quiet!” and trust God.