The Holy Psalms of David

Psalm 42 ~ For all people

^‘1As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.  ²I thirst for God, the living God.’

Here the Psalmist colourfully paints a picture of how we should be thirsty for God’s grace every day of our lives.  We need God in us working through us each and every hour of the day. When we recognise this our attitude will be one of loving dependence on God’s Spirit.  We do not need to fret or worry, but to live in the confidence of God’s grace within us.

^‘3Day and night ... my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”’

To be taunted is distressing and to be taunted about your faith in God is more distressing, but there is nothing one can do other than cry out to God to bless your enemies and to trust God to confound them for their lack of faith.  Jesus cried out for God to forgive his enemies as he was being cruelly crucified.

^‘6Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you... ⁷I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves sweep over me. ⁸But 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.’

Discouragement can be inevitable when what we hoped for doesn’t happen. But we need to deal with it before it deepens into depression.  The Psalmist knew how – he remembers God’s unfailing love and even though his circumstances felt like raging seas sweeping over his head, he hung onto the fact of God’s love and then when all is quiet at night he makes the effort to praise God and pray.

^‘11Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Saviour ad my God!’

Finally he talks to his discouragement.  Encouraging himself to hope in God despite the circumstances and to build the hope that there will be light at the end of the tunnel.  He will again be able to praise God in public and give testimony to God’s grace in his life!