12.04.07
“IT’S TOO HARD!”
Psalm 42:5-8
“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. 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.”
Have you ever had the blue funks, the down days, the blaahs? “Nobody loves me–everybody hates me, I’m going to eat some worms. Down goes a fat one, down goes a skinny one, Oh, how they wiggle when they squirm.” Boy! That is one from way back in my boyhood days! Aren’t you glad that I share such spiritually profound gems?
The member of the sons of Korah who wrote this Psalm, seems to have been depressed when he wrote it. It is interesting that there is a conversation here with his soul. It is a picture of one who is talking to himself.
I heard a bit of advice long ago that it is permissible to talk to your self. It is when you begin to answer your self that the problem arises. When your conversation with your self turns into an argument—you’re in trouble!
There is one extremely important principle that I learned long ago–when someone is depressed, the last thing you want to tell them is: “Cheer up!” That is a good way for you to find yourself star-gazing — even in the middle of the day! There has to be an answer, and there is.
In his conversation with his soul, the Psalmist gives several absolutely brilliant steps of action to escape from the grip of depression:
“PUT YOUR HOPE IN GOD”
Here the Psalmist directs his mind from the “poor me feelings,” to the One who is the Blessed Controller of All Things — The Lord Jesus Christ.
“I WILL YET PRAISE HIM”
Hey! Here is a very important point. More often than not, when we go to the Lord in prayer, make it a time of praise and adoration. Sometimes we spend all of our prayer time with a shopping list of things we want Him to send our way. Become swallowed up in adoration and love for God.
“I WILL REMEMBER YOU”
What a delightful time we can have when we recall all of the times the Lord has heard and answered our prayer. Think about His healing touches. Think of His providing the “things” we needed at just the right time. Think about the dangers He has brought us through. REMEMBER!
“BY DAY THE LORD DIRECTS HIS LOVE, AT NIGHT HIS SONG”
This is an assurance to us–that God’s love is freely seen and experienced during the day; and at the end of our day, He gives us the sweet song of His redeeming work in our life. Two songs pop into my mind as I write this; “Songs In the Night,” (This is also the name of the program from the Moody Church of Chicago). Another song is; “I Will Sing of My Redeemer.”
Oh, how blessed we really are. Life is very real and it is sometimes bitter. In the past few days I was notified that two young men in their late teens were tragically killed in a car crash. They were close friends with one of the young men in our church fellowship.
Words are not adequate to convey meaning at times like these. We can pray for God’s comfort and touch, but the reality is that each of us are but just a heartbeat away from eternity. “Only one life, t’will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
In the uncertainties of life, we can have a hope that is steadfast and sure. Let me close with just a few words from an old song by Robert Harkness that we used to sing in church: “Are we downhearted? No, no, no. Are we downhearted? No, no, no. Troubles may come and troubles may go; We’ll trust in Jesus come weal or woe. Are we downhearted? No, no, no.”
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
— Pastor Cecil