March 2, 2017
THE LORD IS SUFFICIENT IN THE LESS THAN "HIGHLIGHTABLE" MOMENTS
Psalm 42
Blake Holmes
Central Truth
The Lord doesn’t promise us a life of ease. Instead, He promises to quench the thirst of everyone who comes to Him like a deer panting for water (John 4:13-14).
Key Verse |
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 42:11)
Psalm 42
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil 1 42:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of the Sons of Korah.
1
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
2
42:2
Revocalization yields and see the face of God
3
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
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
3
42:5
Hebrew the salvation of my face; also verse 11 and 43:5
6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
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.
9
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?”
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.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 42
I’m not on Facebook, I don’t post pictures on Instagram, and I don’t pay much attention to Twitter (unless Todd tweets something controversial). Some would argue that I am “out of touch” with reality. I would argue, however, that much of what you see in social media is out of touch with reality. Think about it. How many pictures posted to social media portray what is really happening? Instead, people highlight their vacations or the brief moments in the day when all of their kids happen to be smiling at the same time.
Many of us read our Bibles like we do social media. We like to highlight the parts that make us feel good, and we skip the uncomfortable parts. For example, Psalm 42 is best known for its opening verse: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” I’m willing to bet this verse is highlighted in your Bible (like it is in mine). I’m also willing to bet that not much else of this psalm is highlighted. Who, for instance, highlights, “My tears have been my food day and night” (verse 3a)? We like the imagery of the deer, but not the part about our tears being like food day and night.
When we practice the “highlighter method,” we cheat ourselves from discovering what the Lord has to say to us in those less than “highlightable” moments. We also begin to undermine our confidence in the Lord’s sufficiency. Unlike the inauthenticity of social media, the psalmist paints an accurate picture of what life is really like sometimes. Note the psalmist’s circumstances—his enemies mock his faith (verses 3, 10); he is homesick (verse 6); and he is overwhelmed with anxiety (verses 5, 11). Yet, despite his circumstances, he finds hope in the Lord by remembering the testimony of God’s people (verse 4) and the steadfast love of the Lord (verses 6-9).
The Lord doesn’t promise us a life of ease. Instead, He promises to quench the thirst of everyone who comes to Him like a deer panting for water (John 4:13-14).
Discussion Questions
1. We tend to highlight the passages of Scripture that promise us comfort and hope and ignore the passages that speak of turmoil, conflict, and doubts. How does this undermine your confidence in the credibility of Scripture?
2. The psalmist remembered times when he gathered with God’s people for worship (verse 4). How does gathering with others for the purpose of worship strengthen your faith?
3. Whom do you know that needs encouragement today? How might the Lord want to use you to remind that person of the Lord’s goodness?
4. Do you believe the Lord is able to fulfill your greatest longings? Practically speaking, what do you think it means to pant for the Lord as a deer pants for flowing streams?