Have you ever had one of those days when you\u2019re just not sure how you\u2019re going to make it?\u202f You know what I\u2019m talking about, right?\u202f School (or work) is just extra difficult.\u202f Every social interaction just seems to go opposite of how you want it to go.\u202f Your family seems to be pushing you to your limits.\u202f And to top it all off, you\u2019re extra clumsy and keep making stupid decisions.<\/p>\n
Or maybe it happens at the end of an incredibly long winter when all you want to do is wear\u00a0shorts and flip flops, but then that pesky weather guy informs you that you\u2019re going to need your snow boots and long johns.<\/p>\n
Where does your mind go when you are in the middle of these days?\u202f Do you start dreaming about what it will be like when you get home and kick back in your favorite chair and watch your favorite television show? Do you get lost in the thoughts of your favorite novel?\u202f Do you dream about that perfect spot in a hammock under two palm trees overlooking the beautiful ocean?<\/p>\n
The real question I\u2019m trying to ask is: where do you turn to find the refreshment for your soul when you\u2019re hurting?<\/p>\n
I recently was reading in the Psalms and came across one of the passages that has inspired one of my favorite reflective songs.\u202f As I read through Psalm 42, I\u202fbegan to notice\u202fa pattern that is established.\u202f The psalmist is saying: here are the reasons why I\u2019m so beaten down, but immediately he counters it with the hope that only comes from God.\u202f Let\u2019s just look at a quick breakdown of this chapter.<\/p>\n
Psalm 42:1\u20135\u202f(NASB95)<\/p>\n
1\u202f As\u202fthe deer pants for the water brooks,\u202fSo my soul pants for You, O God.<\/em><\/p>\n 2\u202f My\u202fsoul thirsts for God, for the living God;\u202fWhen shall I come and appear before God?<\/em><\/p>\n 3\u202f My\u202ftears have been my food day and night,\u202fWhile they say to me all day long, \u201cWhere is your God?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 4\u202f These\u202fthings I remember and I pour out my soul within\u202fme.\u00a0For\u202fI used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God,\u202fWith the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.<\/em><\/p>\n 5\u202f Why\u202fare you in despair, O my soul?\u202fAnd why have you become disturbed within me?<\/em><\/p>\n In verses 1-5a, we see the psalmist pouring out his need to be refreshed.\u202f He starts with the beautiful imagery of a deer that is driven by his need for water (1).\u202f He just needs to have some time before God (2).\u202f He is so\u00a0weary of trying to satisfy his own longings through his tears.\u202f He begins to realize that every time he sends up the hopeless cries, he is really challenging his faith in God (3).\u202f He misses the days of joy in the presence of God (4).\u202f He begins to recognize that he is lost in\u00a0this\u00a0despair where he has lost sight of his hope (5).<\/p>\n Have you ever been there?\u202f Do you longingly remember and wish that you could just go back to that time when you had so much joy in the things of the Lord?\u202f Do you wish that you could stop crying out in need and instead see your Savior face to face?<\/p>\n The end of verses\u00a05-6 offers the first piece of hope to help us through these tough times.\u202f\u202f <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cHope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. O my God, my soul is in despair within me;\u202fTherefore\u202fI remember You from the land of the Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.\u201d\u202f<\/em><\/p>\n The hope comes from remembering the faithfulness of God.\u202f God has a track record of taking care of us even in our hardest times.\u202f God is faithful, and when we focus on the faithfulness of God, we\u2019re able to\u202fsee our struggles from a different perspective.<\/p>\n Psalm 42:7\u202f(NASB95)<\/p>\n 7\u202f Deep\u202fcalls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;\u202fAll Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me.<\/em><\/p>\n In verse 7, the image of water is used again to describe the way that the psalmist is overwhelmed.\u202f The imagery is of the never-ending pounding that life seems to be piling on top of him.\u202f He feels like the swimmer in the ocean who is trying to reach\u202fshore but\u202fis constantly being driven down by the waves that never end.\u202f He is going down quickly.<\/p>\n Psalm 42:8\u202f(NASB95)<\/p>\n 8\u202f The\u202fLord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime;\u202fAnd His song will be with me in the night,\u202fA prayer to the God of my life.<\/em><\/p>\n All of\u202fsudden, in the middle of his despair, the psalmist remembers the love and kindness of the Lord.\u202f There is peace that comes from reflection on the way that God lovingly leads us.\u202f Suddenly, when we focus on the goodness of God, we are filled with the joy of singing to Him.\u202f Soon we are laying our struggles before Him in prayer.<\/p>\n Psalm 42:9\u201310\u202f(NASB95)<\/p>\n 9\u202f I\u202fwill say to God my rock, \u201cWhy have You forgotten me?\u202fWhy do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n 10\u202f As\u202fa shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me,\u202fWhile they say to me all day long, \u201cWhere is your God?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The psalmist is now crying out to God asking Him, \u201cWhere are you in the midst of my struggle?\u201d\u202f Although life is\u202fdifficult\u202fand it seems that God is nowhere to be found, the psalmist finds the strength to ask God where He is.<\/p>\n Have you been there before?\u202f Often in life,\u202fit seems as though\u202flife is just piling up,\u00a0and you are struggling to find God\u00a0amid\u00a0it all.\u202f It is an incredibly lonely place, but the biggest need\u202fduring\u202fthis is to seek where God is in all of this.\u202f How can God be working even\u202fin the midst of\u202fthis?<\/p>\n Psalm 42:11\u202f(NASB95)<\/p>\n 11\u202f Why\u202fare you in despair, O my soul?\u202fAnd why have you become disturbed within me?<\/em><\/p>\n Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,\u202fThe help of my countenance and my God.<\/em><\/p>\n Once again,\u00a0in the midst of\u00a0his struggles he reflects on\u00a0God\u2019s\u00a0nature\u00a0and\u00a0realizes\u202fhe can rest in the hope that comes from God.\u202fHow about you?\u202f Is life overwhelming right now?\u202f Do you just wish that you could see God face to face?\u202f Do you feel like you are constantly being beaten down?\u202f Do you feel like the enemy is winning?<\/p>\n Where do you turn for victory?\u202f Do you find it at the end of every\u202fhour-long\u202ftelevision\u00a0program?\u202f Do you find at the end of a novel?\u202f Do you find it on some beach?\u202f Or do you truly seek the hope that can only come from understanding the very nature of God?<\/p>\n Image by Hartmut R\u00fchl<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I Need Sustaining<\/h2>\n
I Need God<\/h2>\n
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