Psalm 42

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God?”vs 1-3

There is a longing here for God, for Him to come and answer. The Psalmist is in trouble and it is a deep trouble. God seems to be nowhere in sight and others taunt the Psalmist with that nagging question of ‘where is your God?’.

“When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” Vs4,5

He remembers times in the past, good times where God seemed more present, and the psalmist was a part of the grand fellowship of the house of God. But things had changed, and he is asking himself why he is so disquieted. But, in his questioning, he talks to himself, telling himself to hope in God. This is done in faith because He can’t see it or feel it, but he knows he will praise God for the help that will come. He is reminding Himself that God will deliver. He doesn’t know how the help will come or when, but he knows it will there in some way, shape and form.

“O my God, my soul is cast down within me, therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, and from the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” Vs6-8

But, in the meantime he is still cast down because he is still in the midst of the trial. He does the next thing which is to remember God. When in a present trial, it is good to always remember past faithfulness because God doesn’t change. If He is faithful then, He will be faithful now and in the future. There are certain things that are bedrock and that don’t change no matter what the trial is. These are God’s promises and His character which are things to stand on in hard times. The things that don’t change are: He loves you, He is in perfect control and He is going somewhere good with it. If God’s waves and billows go over you, God’s lovingkindness and song will come.

“I will say to God my Rock ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?’ As with a breaking of my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” vs9,10

The interesting thing about this psalm is that the Psalmist’s emotions seem to flip flop from hope to questioning, to hope back to questioning. We are mortal, and in our mortality, we feel the impact of the hard things that come to us in life. If we get victory over our emotions in one trial it doesn’t mean that we won’t feel it again in another one. There are questions that come, and sometimes it feels like God has pulled back and left, and sometimes it means just saying to God in faith, “I don’t know what you are doing. It seems all wrong to me, but I know you and that is enough for me. I trust you. Help me!”
That is trusting where you can’t see or feel and you must just look up to Him in faith anyhow. Faith is precious to God, and He develops it by putting us in trying situations, to glorify His name.

“Why are you cast down O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” Vs 11

The Psalm ends with the psalmist still waiting for an answer. But it ends in hope when he tells himself to hope in God because in faith, he knows he will praise God for his help in the end. It will come. Other translations say, I will praise him for my salvation and my God.

Psalm 91 Trusting God in the midst of danger.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

…Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

The words dwell and abide are powerful words which shows us where we are to be resting, which is under the shadow of the Almighty. The word almighty means nothing is above Him, everything is under His power and command. So, being under this power is a secure place. The Psalmist goes on to say that God is also a refuge and a fortress. A refuge is where you are safe from harm and a fortress is a strong wall against an enemy onslaught.

God is not only a place of refuge but He will deliver, then cover us with His wings. Under a bird’s wings is a warm and soothing place where nothing can attack from above.

His truth is our shield and buckler which are items used for protection in battle. His truth is how we fight. According to Ephesians 5:14 and 16 we gird our waists with truth and use it as a shield in battle. The shield of faith believes in God’s promises which will be able to quench all the fiery darts (doubts) of the enemy. God’s Word is a powerful weapon when we believe what it says.

From this position of protection, we don’t need to be afraid of the enemies that assail us. The terror by night or day or the arrow that flies by day are used as examples. Terror is extreme fear where you are in grave danger and there is no one to help. You are exposed and on your own. But because you are under the shadow of the Almighty, you don’t need to fear. You are protected and not alone. God is your refuge.

It goes on to say in verse 10 that no evil shall befall you. What does this mean, because the whole book of Psalms shows all the evil that the Psalmist finds himself in? It is how you look at it. While on this earth in our mortality, we all will be experiencing many trials in various severities. But, because we have set our love on Him and are His beloved children, these trials will come through the hand of a loving Father who is in complete control. He turns them for our everlasting good and uses them to bring in His kingdom preparing us for His glory in eternity. So, when you look at the end result of what He is doing and where He is going, trials are not an ultimate evil, though it may seem so at the time. But as we go through them, He is protecting, sheltering and teaching us how to fight with His shield of truth.

This is how He acts towards His beloved children, his own special people. He sets them on high and answers them. God will deliver in the way He sees fit and in His timing. Sometimes this timing is when we leave this prison of our body and go to be with Him forever. But He will deliver, and in the meantime, He is right there in trouble ready to hear us when we call. God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.

My Soul Longs

“My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Ps 84:2
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools, they go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.” Ps 84:5-7

In Psalm 84 it emphasizes the joy and longing of God’s people to worship at His tabernacle and how they are set on going there. A couple things stood out to me as I read this Psalm. On this pilgrimage they pass through the Valley of Baca (weeping). But there are springs and pools to refresh them and give them strength as they pass through.

Toward the end of the Psalm it says, “For the Lord is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”
He provides the light to guide and the shield to protect His children along the way. He also does not withhold any good thing. So God provided for, protected and lead them onward.

We are on a pilgrimage on this earth as we go to the heavenly Jerusalem. We long for it and our hearts and flesh cry out to be with the Lord for all eternity. But, along the way we will go through many valleys of Baca’s, that of weeping. But God will provide springs of water that will never run out to refresh us and give us strength along the way for He is living water. He will be our sun and shield to guide and protect us until we are brought safely home to glory. And no good thing will He withhold along the way.

Be Still – Psalm 46

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The God of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Ps 46:10,11

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear; even though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;” Ps 46:1,2

When there are troubles so big that the earth is shaken and the mountains collapse, God tells us to be still and know that He is God. To be still is not to fret, but to be quiet by calming yourself before an almighty God. He is a mighty king, and Lord overall. He is exalted among the nations and on the earth. When you focus on how big your God is, your troubles become smaller in comparison.

Job had troubles, lots of them. When Job questioned God as to why he was being hit so hard by Him, he never got an answer. All that God said to him in so many chapters was ‘look at who I am, and that is enough for you to know’.

You don’t have to know why things happen, just know that He is there, and He loves you. You can trust Him because you are His child, and He is your father. You trust in His goodness, His promises, His character and His power to do good, not because you understand why He does things, but because you know who He is.  That power can turn even seeming disasters into victories in light of eternity. He is the only one who can turn even ashes into beauty. God is going somewhere with your story in view of His glory filling the earth.

This is our God:

“to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness.” Is 61:3

That is why you run to Him, who gave you the trial and not away. It is similar to a child running into the strong arms of a beloved father, and just knowing that everything will be ok.  If you hold back because you consider Him too dangerous, you will be hit twice, once by the trial and second by pulling yourself away from the only one who can truly help you. Your times are in His hands. If God wasn’t good, this would be scary but since His love is perfect, He will give perfect peace to those who trust Him because peace goes along with trust.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the lord, is everlasting strength.” Is 26:3,4

Help in Trouble- Psalm 18 and 46

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea,” Psalm 46:1,2

The verses above in Psalm 46 are the condensed version. Psalm 18 expands the same theme in detail.
Psalm 18
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” vs 1,2

He states right at the beginning the truths he can stand on about God: He is his strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, salvation and stronghold. These are powerful words of protection. A shield goes in front of a person and takes the blows of the oncoming danger, and a fortress and stronghold is something strong that a person can run into and be safe from the onslaught. This is protection on both fronts.

In the next verses we learn what he needed protection from. It was something big, where he was completely overwhelmed and distressed: “The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me, the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” vs 4-6

His situation was dire. He did the best thing he could do and called out to God who heard and acted.

In verses 7-17 it shows the furry of God in coming to His child’s defense in very vivid language of the earth being shaken, and God flying on the wings of the wind to come to his defense. We see that God had his back, and he would not be left alone or forsaken. God acted on his behalf.

“He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.”
“He also brought me out into a broad place, He delivered me because He delighted in me.” vs 18:19

Whatever or whoever it was that the psalmist faced, were too strong for him and that was why God’s strength had to come in and save. It was a complete deliverance to the extent that he was even brought out into a broad place.

The Psalmist exalts in the ways God strengthens him in verses 28-30, and there is that word shield again – protection.
“For You will light my lamp, The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop. By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect, The Word of the Lord is proven: He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” vs 28-30

He goes on to say that there is no other help outside of God, there is no other rock we can run to and be safe. There is no other god who hears and acts on our behalf.

“For who is God, except the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect.” vs 21,22

“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.” vs 46

“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, let such as love Your salvation say continually, ‘The Lord be magnified!” But I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer, do not delay O my God.” Ps 40:16

The Psalmist states that all who seek the Lord should rejoice and be glad in Him. That is where one can find real help. The psalmist is also making a choice to say ‘The Lord be magnified’ in whatever circumstances he is in because he says it continuously. There is real victory here and one would assume at first glance that he is one of the ‘never struggle, super-human types who is always in a state of ‘acceptable perfection’ in which he can approach the Lord. But this is not the case because in the previous verses he says:

 “Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord, let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me, for innumerable evils have surrounded me, my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up, they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me.”

Yet, he recognizes his true position when he says in verse 16: “But, I am poor and needy.” There is a ‘but’ and that didn’t stop him from still magnifying the Lord in his neediness. He knew where his help came from and he knew he would not be rejected when he approached Him“…yet, the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer, do not delay, O my God.”

“…and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order, if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” Vs5

In other words, we don’t approach God when we are in a self-sufficient, perceived state of human perfection. We approach Him in our need and imperfection because that is our continual state on earth. God knows this and yet His thoughts are continually upon us and He still delivers us again and again. Therefore, we can rejoice and be glad because we have a redeemer who cares.

“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of HIs countenance.”

We need to be spiritually ready before disaster strikes, not after.
I like to think of this concept with an example of taking a dip in an ice-cold mountain lake. If you are a member of the Polar Bear club and do this every January 1st, you will get yourself psyched-out to do the plunge with on-lookers cheering you on. When you jump in, it will be a shock, but you will come out invigorated and no worse for the wear. Why? because you were ready for it. Now let’s take a different scenerio of someone sleeping comfortably by the fireplace wrapped up in a warm blanket. If someone picks that person up in their warm blanket and takes them outside while they are still sleeping, then throws them in the lake, a very different reaction will probably occur. The shock on the person’s body will be so severe that it might even kill them because they were not ready for it. So the variable of the ice cold lake could either invigorate or kill depending on the readiness of the person taking the plunge.
We should always be ready spiritually for whatever situation God puts us in no matter how hard. This does not mean playing out scenerios, it means walking with God in such a way that we are ready to take His hand and gain His strength to go through anything He has for us at a moment’s notice. It is giving your willingness beforehand, knowing in faith that God is good, and it is all part of His glorious plan.

“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? And I said, ‘This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?” Ps. 77:7-13.

When the Psalmist first starts questioning God in verses 7 and 8, he is coming from an overwhelmed and troubled point of view because the obvious answer to all his questions were ‘no’. God has not cast off forever nor has His mercy ceased forever. But, the Psalmist still asked the questions because he was in a difficult spot. He said in the previous verses, “I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.” and “I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”

But there is a change of perspective when he chooses to remember God’s works and His wonders of old from years past, while in his anguish. This puts everything in a different perspective. He then chooses to meditate on these works and to proclaim them which cements in his mind a different focus. In the end he could say, “Your way O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God?”. The Psalmist took his thoughts captive by jerking them over to a better place by remembering what was true.

When we lose perspective, sometimes it helps to analyze where we went off, and other times, it is just better to not give the thoughts any credence and to just say ‘no’ as we jerk them back into safer territory. A good metaphor of this is how a rider uses a small bit to steer a charging horse, or a helmsman uses a small rudder to steer a ship in a raging storm. Both the ship and horse would be out of control if they were not steered in the right direction during a turbulant time. Our thoughts also can charge in the wrong direction if we let them. But, we have a choice, and that choice is to say ‘no’ to the errant thoughts and then to actively remember the works of God and His wonders of old, that His faithfulness is new every morning.

What is fear? It is waking up and finding out that you are surrounded by a ruthless gang bent on your demise. Israel was in such a position when Syria surrounded them.

“Therefore he (the king of Syria) sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elilsha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:14-17

When the army surrounded them, Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, took a look at the dire situation before them and feared based upon what he could see and what he predicted would happen to them next. But he missed one vital part of the equation, in that when he assessed the situation, he had factored out God. Without God, yes it was a very dire situation and they were about to be slaughtered. But more was going on than Gehazi could see. There was an invisible army with them all the time that completely outnumbered the enemy. Because Elisha knew this, he told Gehazi not to fear. After this, Elisha prayed that God would open up Gehazi’s eyes, and he saw a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around that had been invisible. And that great army was on their side!

God puts us in situations where we need to exercise our faith, which causes us to grow. If we could see how a situation will work out, it is no longer faith. In a hard providence, when faith is at work, a person will see the unseen power of God that is our help and refuge. This causes us to have peace instead of panic. In faith, we believe that God hears us when we call out to Him and that He will bring the needed help even when we cannot see it. In faith we believe that God is not only all powerful and sovereign, but that He loves us and has our good in mind. Faith pleases God because it focuses beyond the trial onto the Lord in heaven.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 1:1

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Heb. 11:6

We rest on God knowing He is really in control and that He is the unseen force that will help us in every situation.

Lisa

Psalm 46:1-7 

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. “There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. 

God is a refuge and strength to you, a very present help in any type of trouble. He is right there during your trials whether you can feel it or not. He is present, right with you, and acts as a refuge that you can run to and be safe. We are safe because He is in control and He loves us. Because of this, we do not fear even if everything should fall apart. The Psalmist explains what type of situations we are not to be afraid in. He talks about cataclysmic scenarios where the earth is being removed, the mountains are being carried into the midst of the sea, the waters are troubled, the mountains are shaking, and everything is in utter turmoil. In other words, the foundations are being shaken, and yet, even in these horrific scenarios, he tells us not to fear. Why? Because God is. We are not left alone, and He is our refuge and strength, right when we need Him. 

The theme of water often represents God’s kingdom taking over the earth like the water in Ezekiel 47. And in this Psalm, there is a reference of a river whose waters make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 

“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn” Ps. 46:4,5

And where is God? He is right there in the midst. Because of this she shall not be moved. We are in Christ and Christ is in God and because of this we shall not be moved. God is all powerful, all knowing, and loves us. And we are His. We are in His arms and no cataclysmic event shall move us. God promises help, and sometimes at the last moment. But it is help in His way, in His timing and with His purposes in mind for His glory. It may look different from what we expect, but we can trust Him because He is Lord and He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. 

Heb. 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 

So even if our world falls seems to be falling apart, the Lord of hosts, the King of kings and Lord of lords is with us.

“The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.” Ps. 46:6,7

And not only with us but carrying us with His everlasting arms underneath all the time.

“There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you, and in His excellency on the clouds. The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deut. 33:26-27a

Lisa