“These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.” Psalm 42:4 NIV
The exact occasion on which this psalm was written is unknown. Many who believe David to be its real author suggest that this psalm was written during David’s flight from Absalom. Whoever the psalmist is, he is writing during a time of persecution and personal suffering, perhaps being cut off from the ability to worship at God’s Temple. The psalmist is questioning the LORD, questioning of himself. He missed and desired to be with the LORD’s people in a place of worship, he mostly longed for the sweetness of the LORD’s personal presence. He desired the depth and personal fellowship in his walk with his LORD. In verse 2–3, he expresses disappointment with himself for his own lack of faith. His confidence was at war with his uncertainty, his strength at enmity with his exhaustion, and his hope at odds with his sorrow. This tension is one that many of us feel during trials. We faint when trials come, knowing full well that God has promised relief and has always been faithful to us. While the Psalmist is disappointed with himself, he reveals a renewed faith with his confident declaration, “For I will yet praise Him” (Psalm 42:5). The faith he expresses blossoms into a prayer in verses 6–8. This prayer expresses both doubt and hope. This is real prayer, when we can express how we really feel to the LORD, knowing that He has never changed even though our emotions and feelings are fluctuating! As we wrestle in prayer, may we be led like the Psalmist, to a place of renewed faith.
PRAYER THOUGHT
Lord, as I wrestle in prayer with my emotions lead me to renewed faith.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
Lord, as we express how we really feel to You, we know that You have never changed. Our emotions and feelings are fluctuating. So lead us like the Psalmist, to a place of renewed faith in You. AMEN
INTERNATIONAL BIBLE READING ASSOCIATION (IBRA)
1 Peter 1:1-9
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