The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 42:5,
"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
One of the things I love about the Scriptures is the truthfulness and transparency so evident in its observations about life and about us. The book of Psalms is no exception and possibly one of the best books that reveal the deepest yearnings, desires, disappointments, and so on that we all experience from time to time.
Unlike the Scriptures, when we show up on Sundays at church. everyone has a smile, we're all cleaned up, dressed appropriately, on our best behavior and anything but truthful and transparent. We all really know we are on our "Sunday best" when we show up and not reflecting that spat with our spouse on the way, the challenge to our patience in dealing with the kids, etc. We don't reflect the struggles we may have had during the week with not-so-good thoughts, contempt for the other drivers on the road and whatever else challenges that persona we carry about. Trust me, I am old enough to look back on my life to recognize these things and I know I am not the only one. And here, right smack in the middle of the Scriptures is an expression that challenges that "Sunday-best persona", a challenge of dejection, depression - a "mood disorder"? An expression of transparency and truthfulness.
The psalmist lays the cause for his dejection to the challenges he faces from his enemies, "'Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?' My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" Verses 9-10. He also claims to feel being abandoned by God, "I say to God my Rock, 'Why have you forgotten me?'" Verse 9. (Ever been there?)
When some may say believers are never to feel these kind of things, I suspect a lack of truthfulness and transparency. We are all struggling with a sinful nature, we live in a lost and fallen world dominated by a collective sinful nature while we await the glories of God's presence. We have God's Holy Spirit within our hearts, wonderful brothers and sisters to encourage us, pastors and others to build us up, the Scriptures to bring encouragement and endurance because God knows we need them. Here in Psalm 42 we find an expression that demonstrates why God provides us all he does to build us up.
When we gather together as believers we can be encouraged and built up. Our pastors carry a deep desire to bring that encouragement and edification to help us grow spiritually through these things, working in concert with the Holy Spirit as he works his craft within our hearts, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23.
Acknowledging our need for this spiritual growth is an important step and I believe the Sons of Korah help here by expressing one of the kinds of things that many of us feel from time to time. As it is asked, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" many of us can identify with it. I can certainly identify with the complaint and I have spoken to many people who have as well. I suspect most of us have been there at times. The psalmist tells us his soul is downcast within him in verse 6 and the refrain from verse 5 is repeated again in verse 11 to end the psalm.
Of course, the psalm does not leave us with only a complaint against the challenges our soul may bring. The answer is found together with the complaint- the psalmist directs his soul to put its hope in God - and that the joy leading to praise awaits it there. And while that soul waited, the psalmist uttered that well known statement, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Verses 1-2. Might this be why God allowed the struggle?
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
One of the things I love about the Scriptures is the truthfulness and transparency so evident in its observations about life and about us. The book of Psalms is no exception and possibly one of the best books that reveal the deepest yearnings, desires, disappointments, and so on that we all experience from time to time.
Unlike the Scriptures, when we show up on Sundays at church. everyone has a smile, we're all cleaned up, dressed appropriately, on our best behavior and anything but truthful and transparent. We all really know we are on our "Sunday best" when we show up and not reflecting that spat with our spouse on the way, the challenge to our patience in dealing with the kids, etc. We don't reflect the struggles we may have had during the week with not-so-good thoughts, contempt for the other drivers on the road and whatever else challenges that persona we carry about. Trust me, I am old enough to look back on my life to recognize these things and I know I am not the only one. And here, right smack in the middle of the Scriptures is an expression that challenges that "Sunday-best persona", a challenge of dejection, depression - a "mood disorder"? An expression of transparency and truthfulness.
The psalmist lays the cause for his dejection to the challenges he faces from his enemies, "'Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?' My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, 'Where is your God?'" Verses 9-10. He also claims to feel being abandoned by God, "I say to God my Rock, 'Why have you forgotten me?'" Verse 9. (Ever been there?)
When some may say believers are never to feel these kind of things, I suspect a lack of truthfulness and transparency. We are all struggling with a sinful nature, we live in a lost and fallen world dominated by a collective sinful nature while we await the glories of God's presence. We have God's Holy Spirit within our hearts, wonderful brothers and sisters to encourage us, pastors and others to build us up, the Scriptures to bring encouragement and endurance because God knows we need them. Here in Psalm 42 we find an expression that demonstrates why God provides us all he does to build us up.
When we gather together as believers we can be encouraged and built up. Our pastors carry a deep desire to bring that encouragement and edification to help us grow spiritually through these things, working in concert with the Holy Spirit as he works his craft within our hearts, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23.
Acknowledging our need for this spiritual growth is an important step and I believe the Sons of Korah help here by expressing one of the kinds of things that many of us feel from time to time. As it is asked, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" many of us can identify with it. I can certainly identify with the complaint and I have spoken to many people who have as well. I suspect most of us have been there at times. The psalmist tells us his soul is downcast within him in verse 6 and the refrain from verse 5 is repeated again in verse 11 to end the psalm.
Of course, the psalm does not leave us with only a complaint against the challenges our soul may bring. The answer is found together with the complaint- the psalmist directs his soul to put its hope in God - and that the joy leading to praise awaits it there. And while that soul waited, the psalmist uttered that well known statement, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" Verses 1-2. Might this be why God allowed the struggle?
A blog with my ruminations over the years can be found here: http://worshipfortoday.blogspot.com/
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know..
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