God Speaks
42 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him?
3 Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?”
4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration!
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and 6 my God!
Now I am deeply discouraged,
but I will remember you—
even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,
from the land of Mount Mizar.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life.
9 “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
43
1 Declare me innocent, O God!
Defend me against these ungodly people.
Rescue me from these unjust liars.
2 For you are God, my only safe haven.
Why have you tossed me aside?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?
3 Send out your light and your truth;
let them guide me.
Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
to the place where you live.
4 There I will go to the altar of God,
to God—the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
O God, my God!
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Fr. Reardon mentions that these two psalms may have once been considered as one psalm; “however, the two became divided very early (no later than the third century BC), because they stand as two different psalms in both the Hebrew and Greek Bibles.”* Psalms 42 and 43 give God’s people a pattern to follow in facing both external and internal enemies who would seek to discourage our souls.
*Christ in the Psalms by Patrick Henry Reardon, p. 81
Prayer: Dear gracious, living God who makes us thirsty for You and who is our endless reservoir** of refreshment, may I search for You, LORD, like a deer running through the waste lands to near exhaustion in search of a source of refreshment and rest. May I stand with confidence against those enemies who taunt me with “Where is your God?” I do renew my desire to worship You among crowds of worshipers as I did before. We will sing with joy and thanksgiving again. It will be a great celebration. With Your help and direction, I take my soul to task and say to my inner self, “Why are you so upset? Who or what has stolen your courage? Focus your hope back on God. Praise Him again, even if you don’t ‘feel’ like it. (That’s when You need it and Him most.) Remember, He is your Savior and your God.” As I look at the power and grandeur of nature around me, I think of You, LORD, its creator and sustainer. Day and night You pour out Your unfailing love. I sing and pray to You who gives me life. Whenever my enemies taunt me yet again, I run to You, my solid sheltering rock of refuge. You give me hope, my Savior and my God! Through Christ and the Holy Spirit, You declare me innocent, O God! You defend me against ungodly people and rescue me from unjust liars. You’re my only safe haven. My own thoughts (internal enemies) are saying that You’ve tossed me aside. I wander around aimlessly. These enemies cause me great grief. Please send Your light and Your truth to guide me to Your holy mountain. Where You live is where I’ll be safe. There, in You, I’ll find the source of all my joy. I’ll sing and play beautiful music to You, O God, my God! I’ll have the courage and joy I need. I will put my hope in You and praise You again, my Savior and my God! AMEN
**See “Endless Reservoir” by Jonathan Seiver performed by Casey Getz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ3uTfhmM6A
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will call or text a friend who is discouraged (being robbed of courage) and help them to think and pray positively. I will encourage them (give them courage) in the LORD.
- I will spend time alone with God today drinking from His endless reservoir of love, mercy, and grace.
- I will read these psalms or the prayer above aloud and from the heart and take note of how it changes my attitude, if not my circumstances.
- I will locate a book about David in the Bible and see when in his life he might have felt these emotions.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.