Where is your God?

Psalm 42-43.

The insides of the songwriter were churning.  Something happened to cause his emotions to hit bottom and even to struggle with his faith.  This appears to be a mix of prayer and a good dose of self-talk to encourage himself in his faith.

In his distress, the unbelievers (43:1) ask, "Where is your God?"  Where is this One you say you trust when you need Him?

These two Psalms were most likely one song originally.  Three times he wrote, "Hope in God".  His hope was not in his circumstances.  His future was not based on things getting better.  His faith caused him to believe that God had a plan and a purpose that would one day cause him to "again praise Him."

How can we endure such tests?

1. Only God can truly satisfy us. (42:1-5)

His soul was parched.  There is no thirst on earth like the longing for God to intervene at a critical moment in life.  He was panting for God, crying out to Him day and night.  What sustained him were the wonderful memories of worshiping the LORD in the past.

2. Only God can truly secure us. (42:6-11)

In the midst of overwhelming despair, he looked to God for stability.  He called God "my rock."  William B. Bradbury wrote in the old hymn The Solid Rock, "When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."

3. Only God can truly show us clear direction. (43) 

The way out of tough times is directed by two provisions from the LORD.  First, He gives us "light".  When darkness closes in and we cannot see our next step, God can help.  He can turn the light on with insight and wisdom to follow Him successfully out of the test.  Second, He gives us "truth" that does not change with the shifting sands of culture and time.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105)