Psalm 42-43 Longing For, Remembering, and Trusting God

It’s important to remember that these two psalms, which many believe were once combined, became an expression of worship, though they represent a time of depression and inability to worship.  There is desperation of a soul who can’t get to worship, remembering the times when he could.

In a prior quiet time, I’d read and noted in my Bible, “God wants to bring us back to the place of worshipping Him far more than we want to get there.  He’s pulling on this thing from the other end!  God will put a smile on your face again, whether in this life or the next.”

The commentary I’m now using saw the writer passing through three stages before he comes to victory and peace:

First, longing for God.

Second, remembering God.

Third, trusting God.

I loved these truths from my commentary:

“The living God was the God of his life, and he could not live without Him … without worship, life to him was meaningless … Memory can be either a blessed medicine for the troubled heart, or it can open new wounds and keep the pain fresh… He confronted himself and admonished himself not to be downcast but to hope in the Lord and wait on Him … God was still on the throne.  God’s presence was with him, and he would yet have the joy of worshipping God … He made a wise decision when he decided to remember God and not the good old days … God was in command, a new day would dawn, and the situation would look different … In verse 8, he used Jehovah instead of Elohim, and this was the turning point in his difficult experience.  Jehovah is the God of the covenant, the faithful God who cares for His people.  He is the God who showers His people with lovingkindness, gives them promises they can claim when they pray, and hears them when they praise and worship.  Everything might be changing, but the Lord was still his Rock – stable, strong, and unchanging … By the end of Chapter 43, his focus is no longer on himself, his disappointments, or his circumstances, but on the Lord his God, and that makes all the difference.”

Father, for almost two years now, my focus too has been on myself, my disappointments, and my circumstances, yet I still trusted You and I know You are in control.  You have been active and are changing circumstances even this week.  Please help me to praise and worship You no matter what, even in bitter pain, for You are the God of my life and God my exceeding joy, and God, my God!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford