Christ Our Hope
Notes
Transcript
Psalm 42: Hope in God
1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
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Thirst
Thirst
The text opens up with some imagery of a deer that is longing for a drink of water
a way we could look at this is: you know the feeling when you wake up in the middle of the night and your throat is super dry and the first thing you do is run to the tap and drink a lot of water? that is the thirst that is being described here
The same thirst where you want nothing more than to be hydrated is the thirst that the people had for God.
the desire food God was a felt need that was all consuming in the face of
the same applies to us we need God in the same we need water.
C.S Lewis in his book reflection on the Psalms writes “longing to go to Jerusalem and appear before the presence of God is like a physical thirst.
Pain and trial
Pain and trial
What is happening along with the longing is not that the psalmist has lost belief in God but rather he has lost the experience of being with God.
Who Remember a few years back there was a global event that stoped the world in its tracks.
couldn’t go to school
no youth no church
no community meet ups
Remember the desire to be with people again? and how it was. That is the desire these people had but 10x more.
The Psalmist feels isolated from God. He hasn’t stoped believing in Him but he feels a despair being away from what Vs 42:2 calls The Living God.
Maybe we have experienced this:
Loss of family friend
depression
anxiety
isolation
Bullying
countless more
All of these can feel as if we have lost a sense of direction, purpose, and maybe even feel as if we have lost God.
Perhaps you have been like the Psalmist who exclaims
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.
Remembering all the times that were positive
being in pain or anguish over your situation to the point of tears
and simply longing to return back to
The psalmist doesn't get defensive or blame God or have a crisis of faith instead he states
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
Preaching to our selves
Preaching to our selves
The Psalmist Reminds him self of God’s faithfulness
He Begins with asking him self a very honest question: Why are you cast down my soul
Other Translations state it as Why are you; dejected, in despair, disturbed.
Asking the question as to why do I feel like this?
Why do I experience this turmoil?
all of these draw attention to the internal dialogue as he experiences the despair
The psalmist doesn’t remain in this despair he reminded himself what truly matters
Psalm 42:5 (ESV)
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
Realization of the priority of these things
The Psalmists situation changed however God didn't
God was faithful through out everything he went through. God was present in all of this pain this isolation the loss. he needed to remind himself that God is our hope, and he is our salvation. We will praise him again.
even though the trial still remained he reminds him self to trust in the lord, “I will praise him again”
The problem with Listening to our selves:
There were many other voices in the Psalmist Life as he went through it
The people who surround him: Taunt him asking where is his God as he goes through these trials
His own thoughts are leading him negative places that we mentioned(turmoil and being cast down)
Listening to our selves is not a great idea. following our heart is not good advice.
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Theologian Martyn Lloyd Jones wrote:
Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to your self? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you.
Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression
When these struggles come we need to remind ourselves to not to go along with what the world does and “follow our heart” we need to remind our selves that God is who he says he is
Talk to our selves and remind our souls that We will praise God .
He is our hope
He Is our Salvation!
we will praise him again.
The psalmist doesn't also just say it once he repeat this phrase through out the psalms that follow this one. He reminds himself 2 more times once in vs 42:11 and again in 43:7
Jesus him self reminded him self this
38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”
Jesus here quotes the greek version of the psalm. as he is facing his biggest struggle
John 12:27–28 (ESV)
27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name.”
Points to Christ
Points to Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead