April 28, 2009
WE've GOT A FRIEND IN LOW PLACES
Psalm 42 (Book 2)
Jennifer Blackwood
Central Truth
We must cling to God, continually put our hope in Him, and trust that He is always in control regardless of our circumstances.
Key Verse | Psalm 42:5, 11
Why are you depressed, O my soul?
Why are you upset?
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.
(Psalm 42:5, 11)
Psalm 42 (Book 2)
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 (Book 2)
This psalmist was a former musician who led others in worship in the temple of God. Joyfully celebrating what God had done, he now found himself suffering at the hands of enemies. Desperately, he calls out to God. Have you ever felt so desperate and hopeless that you thought you could do nothing else but cry out to God?
Several years ago, God called me to quit my job and take a position on the mission field. After a few months I was lonely, overwhelmed, and ineffective. Every day, I would come home and cry. One day, I came home and cried out to God, “I can’t do this. You have called the wrong girl. Why did you bring me here?” To make a long story short, God answered my prayer that day. He spoke to my heart personally, showing me several Scriptures regarding prayer and abiding in Him. Things didn’t change immediately, but I was filled with peace. My perspective changed, and I became God-confident, depending on His mighty power instead of thinking about me and my circumstances. (Zechariah 4:6) After awhile, I began to see God do incredible things through me that I could have never done in my own power or strength.
God allows things to occur in our lives to get our attention. He purposefully brings us to those points where we feel we are hanging off a cliff with one arm dangling and are about to fall long and hard. Why? God is a personal God and the master designer in our lives. He knows that we need Him and that, without turning to Him, we will go our own way and never achieve His best for us. God also knows we can never be satisfied without Him. He alone satisfies the thirst of our souls and is our refreshment. He is enough! We must continually seek God and remind ourselves to hope in Him. We can easily become depressed in tough times, but we must remember God is completely in control. He is my Savior and my God!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you feel unsatisfied? Do you know God personally as the One who satisfies? Are you thirsting for God?
2. How is God getting your attention, and how are you responding? Who or what are you clinging to?
3. What do you need to be delivered from today? When deliverance doesn’t come immediately, will you persistently cry out to God and trust His sovereignty?
4. When the world mockingly asks, "Where is God now in your tough circumstances?", do you choose to believe the world or will you believe His Word, trust His sovereignty, and hope in Him?
5. If this is a season when God is blessing you, write down all the ways He is doing so. If you're in tough times, will you seek out God through His Word, meditate on His promises, and write down attributes of God (such as faithful, sovereign, etc.) as you study?