Where will we get our strength?
Psalm 42:5
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.
The writer is looking inward, recognizing the state of his
soul. It almost seems that he cannot shake that sense of discouragement and
unrest within him. Have you felt like that? We don’t know his particular
circumstances, but we certainly are aware of ours! The situation we are
navigating seems to be without hope. The difficult people that we are dealing
don’t seem to show any change. Our physical state does not seem to improve. At
times, even our church situation can be overwhelming. We are overwhelmed by our
sinfulness and or the sinfulness of others. Is there any hope?
The writer already knows the answer to his own question: he
should be hoping in God! There are reasons to praise: he has a relationship
with the living God, who is his salvation. He has given his life to Him and therefore
has hope. But his struggles are not over.
Psalm 42:6,7
6 My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land
of Jordan
from Mount
Mizar
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
He is deeply discouraged and overwhelmed. He states that it is
God’s waterfalls of trials and the waves of difficulties that He has ordained
that are drowning him. Oh, how hurtful and difficult our sorrows and problems can
be!
Psalm 42:8
By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
Yet, the writer is faithful in reminding his heart about the
truths that he knows: God’s love is steadfast. His love does not waver; it is
eternal. God never stopped loving him during his trials, and this love is not
dependent on his faithfulness but on the faithfulness of God. At night,
probably because that is the time when desperation can be deeper, he reminds
himself and his heart about his God by singing and praying. He is the God of
his life, so he is faithful in rehearsing these truths to himself.
Psalm 42:9-10
I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
Again, thoughts of abandonment assail him. Has God forgotten
him? Why does he have to be continuously dealing with the oppression of His
enemies? Will this state ever end? And to add insult to injury, the same
enemies who are causing his pain taunt him, mockingly asking where his God is.
He is pushed into a corner; he is struggling to remain faithful to God in a
situation where God seems to have abandoned him, and has to deal, at the same
time, with those who are quick to make fun of him for his faith in God.
We live in a world that is God’s enemy; our hearts are
easily discouraged when prolonged difficulties assail us. It is not easy! Some
trials are going to be long, and some will never end while we are on earth!
Where is our hope? Where will we get our strength?
Psalm 42:10-11
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.
The writer, under the inspiration of God, asks the question
again: why am I discouraged, why do I have so much turmoil? He needs to keep
his mind and heart glued to the truth: His hope is in God, the One who has
saved him, the One who deserves all his praise.
Dear friends, I wish I could say that trials will always end
quickly or that they will end for sure. We often tend to think that if we are
faithful, God will bring to an end our difficulties, but that is not
necessarily true. God is gracious and does give us times of calm, but we cannot
expect it or demand it.
Life is hard, so feed your heart and mind with the truth.
Meditate upon the character of God: God is good, He is in control, He is wise,
He is sovereign, and He loves us. Meditate on His purposes, which are perfect.
Our lives on earth are short, and during them He is transforming us into the
image of His Son, He is using us to attract others to Himself as we live and
speak His Word, and He wants to use us to encourage other believers.
May your trials drive you into the arms of God, to His Word,
and to the fellowship of other believers! You are not alone in your trials;
many have gone through difficulties and remained faithful. Thoughts of
desperation are not sinful in themselves; it is where we go with them that will
either bring us into closer fellowship with our Savior or take us through
seasons of sin.
May the words of this psalm drive you to God, our only
Savior and hope. May our praise be driven by who He is and not by our
circumstances!
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