Psalm 42-43: A Journey Through Lament

Song is clearly my main form of communication. But not only song but story as well. I love them. I feel that through lyrics and melodies and also the ebbs and flows of a good story, we can express things that often mere words cannot express. For example. (song quote example) (movie quote example)

These both tell you what I mean but because of the story, and context you can understand my meaning so much better.

Not only that but I believe that all of us know how songs can effect our ability to express our own feeling even when we are communicating, just the mere hearing or singing of it is different that just saying the feeling.

Recognition

We must turn to the Lord with our feelings. We don’t proclaim our feelings as truth that is Gods but as a reality that we need the Lord.

Hear the the word and picture the imagery. Is the way in which he longs for God same for us. So much that we thirst and hunger for Him.

Story on Hunger, true hunger, Order of the arrow

See the true pain, his tears are so profuse that it becomes as food.

Refrain

Application

We can be free to express how we feel. We have a faith that is not defined wholly by our feelings nor our knowledge but by God. - Reference Keller - opposite of Head over Heart and Opposite of Heart over Head

Response

We respond with remembrance and praise. Our response is rooted in truth and remembering the work of the Lord in our past and the works he did even before us.

See how he remembers where in the land of his exile (mount hermon, mizar)

He begins to respond in an understanding that even in and through his struggles the Lord was not far but in some instances even a part of the struggle but all to help him call back up on the Lord

Verse 8 - Day and night, steadfast love, song is with him, prayer is with him, God my Rock!!

Refrain

Application

We speak to ourselves. Once we have heard the pain in our hearts, rather than solely listening to that we speak back to our souls about what we know is true. How we speak to ourselves matters.

How do you speak to yourself in these times? Do you allow your feeling to speak louder and over your own knowledge and desires? Ask yourself back these questions, “why am I cast down, soul? Why are you putting me i turmoil?”

Then what do we tell ourselves? Do we stop only with the questions or do we respond with the truth? I can often just repeat my feeling back to myself. But I should repeat what i know to be true. Tell youself “hope in God” even if you don’t “i shall praise him again” even when you arent, “you are you are my salvation and my God” because he is even when i dont feel it

Release

We see the psalmist release is frustrations to the lord. Calling not on himself to fix his sorrow but calls upon the Lord to bring his fulfillment and release from torment. He even asks for the Lord to actively lead him back to a place of praise and presence with the Lord.

This one does not start in the pain and suffering but immediately to call on the Lord, he needs God to save him from his adversaries and pain

God is his refuge, he does not question as if God has rejected him but more in a rhetorical sense that the Lord is there so he desires to be with him and out of hardship.

He continues to call for the Lord’s direction, the Lord’s promised land (not hermon or midzar but the temple), asks to be even in the dwelling

If someone asks to come into your home

He falls to rejoice now, now that rather than continuing in the pain and sorrow that he got out and journeyed through, now he will praise, will go to God, so how do we see the Lord now.

Refrain

Application

Like in many songs the final chorus, though the same words, effects us differently due to the Journey that the song brought us on.Now our response is the same to the Lord but comes with a much greater hope in our heart.

Confidence that the Lord is leading us out of the times of despair is not that our prayer changes but that our attitude towards it does.

The way i read it it feel like the tone of voice even changes that it is less talking to himself about finding a way out but asking back to before. Even if he is still in exile which it seems to be that he has not made it back to his holy hill, he has a mindset towards it.

If you are in this place. Use this Psalm to respond with whatever stage you are in, and what ever stage you are in does not define your worth it just defines what you need to do next. Respond that way.

If you are not in pain and sorrow or lamenting now. First praise the Lord. Say to him, how great are you, you are my hope, I will praise you even now my salvation and my God.

But remember if you arent there now, and you are a faithful Christian, you will be. Maybe not now or soon, but one day you will need this prayer, so practice it now. We practice not out of doubt in the Lord but trusting him. We practice not out of faithlessness but faithfulness.

Don’t put your faith in the Process but the Lord of the process. We love God’s word not because vowels and consonants deserve praise, not that translations need glory, but that the God of Glory, worthy of all praise Spoke these words through prophets and people for our growth, our edification, for our faith.

Let us practice it together, we have sung a few times the song, Lord from Sorrows Deep I call. The words of that song come from Psalm 42, so lets practice this response together in song. The quotes don’t hold a direct line by line quotation mainly because it would sound and feel very funky to sing but it draws the expression out well. So lets stand and sing together.