Yearn For The Lord
Psalms 42
In Psalms 42 we have the second of the Maschil Psalms.
Remember all Scripture is given for instruction to improve our walk with the Lord!
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
But the Maschil Psalms have special instructions for specific things that happen in our walk with the Lord.
What is the Biblical meaning of the Maschil Psalm?
Psa 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: "sing ye praises with understanding".
In other words a Maschil Psalm is a song that praises God but just by singing it we can still obtain God's wisdom!
God is always looking down from Heaven just to see if we truly understand what He is trying to teach us.
Psa 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, "to see if there were any that did understand", that did seek God.
Not only is this a Maschil Psalm but it is also the first time we have seen a Psalm that was to be sung by the sons of Korah.
These "sons of Korah" were Levites by bloodline of the tribe of Levi and during the time of David and Solomon their chief place was to keep the doors of the Tabernacle and then the Temple after it was built.
1Ch 6:32 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.
There are 11 of the Psalms titled "for the Sons of Korah" that were put to music by these doorkeepers of the House of God.
The doorkeeper was the lowest of the jobs of the Levitical priest but these men did not see it that way.
Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness".
They readily boasted that is was better to be in the lowest position in the work of God than to be in the highest position among those that rejected God.
In other words it is better to be changing diapers in the nursery at church than to be the President of the United States or the most powerful person in this world and not know God!
There is no greater job than serving in the Army of God!
So let's begin:
*****Psa 42:1 To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
God never said our walk with Him would be an easy walk.
There will still be times when we will begin to wonder if God truly exists.
There will be times when we will desire any sign from the Lord just to know He is listening to our prayers.
There will be times when we have a great desire to be in the House of God but do to reasons out of our control we just cannot get there.
There will be times when we just want to feel that God is doing something in our lives and have a great desire and a need to just feel His presence.
This Psalm is intended to help us through those times and it begins by showing us that we are not alone because the Holy Ghost inspired this writer, probably David, to write about such a time that he was experiencing.
In the Bible a "hart" refers to a stag or a male deer. This was one of the clean animals and could be hunted and killed for food.
A deer will use every skill it has to allude the hunter even to the point of exhaustion avoiding a watering hole knowing they would be an easy target if they stopped to drink. They would have a great thirst for a refreshing drink of water that was necessary for life.
To pant describes an excited rapid movement of the heart.
We all know that our soul is the seat of all our emotions.
God created man as a unique being.
If we have evolved, we are just a higher form of some animal, without morals and without accountability and many people use this as an excuse to live anyway they so desire.
But the Bible teaches us that humans are moral creatures who are accountable to our Creator!
Man is also a "soul" and therefore eternal!
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the Bible states that mankind is made in the image of God thus cannot be a product of evolution!
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
That word "our" means we were created after the image of the Tri-Une God, (Body, Soul, and Spirit)!
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It should be obvious to us that our soul will sometimes be longing for it's Creator our Maker!
*****Psa 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Our soul, our true being, that is housed in our body of flesh will thirst for it's Creator!
We will sometimes miss a meal and in time we will feel the pangs of hunger.
But when you are thirsty for water it is an awful feeling that could lead to your death.
As a rule of thumb if you got caught out in dangerous cold most people could last no more than 3 hours.
Most people cannot go without water more than 3 days but no more that 8-10 days.
Most people can go without food for 3 weeks or more.
This writer was thirsting to the point of death for God, not water and not food!
God encourages us to be in the House of God in our appointed times of worship.
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
We should have a desire to be in our place of worship!
BUT, even more than that, we need to thirst for that close and personal relationship with God.
Not with just any God but the True and Living God!
We need that desire to have fellowship with God Himself!
It is because Our God lives that He can give us "living water"!
What did Jesus tell that woman at the well?
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
A dead and an impersonal god is a mockery to any religion!
What is the truth of eternal life?
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
What is the truth of eternal life? Being in the family of God!
If we say we love the Lord but do not assemble in His name we are pretenders of the "Gospel"!
But if we do not crave that personal relationship with Jehovah the Living God then we are fooling ourselves because we cannot know true life!
Sometimes we can crave to be in the presence of God so much we will seek some real evidence that He has not forgotten about us.
*****Psa 42:3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
When we cannot feel the presence of the Lord and we know that we have not been drinking of that "Living Water" we soon also find out that there is nothing on this earth that will satisfy that longing for the Lord and this will lead to a miserable life.
It is our God in Christ Jesus that our soul will crave!
Those that do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior also cannot know this craving of being close to our very personal God and they will always say, where is your God when you really need Him or they will say a true God would not allow such a thing to happen.
Only those that do not know our Savior could say these things!
When we are down because of the things that happen in this world, our enemies will always try to take advantage of that situation.
We should be very clear, Satan will do anything to keep us off of our knees!
But prayer is still our greatest weapon!
The God of the mountain is still God in the valley!
What is the irony of prayer?
God knows our needs, but He will sometimes make us ask.
God will answer every prayer that makes it to Heaven, but sometimes will have to be persistent and patient.
And it is only the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ that can be answered because this shows our faith in Him to solve our problems.
Calling upon our Father in Heaven, through the Holy Spirit, and in the name of His Son Jesus is the mark of the true believer!
Even with the greatest "faith" prayers not in the will of God will certainly not be answered.
But without "faith" no prayer can be answered!
Our understanding of prayer will correspond with our understanding of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!
And we must remember all these things.
*****Psa 42:4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
God is our refuge and the place of our strength!
Hardly a day goes by that we are not caught up in the atrocities of this evil world we live in.
The phrase "come to pass" is used 161 times in the Bible. These things will come and they will pass and the answer is that when they come we need to pour out our souls to God!
In fact if we are in daily contact with our Father in Heaven we will miss out on many obstacles that cross our paths.
We need to attend the House of God regularly.
We need to get involved in the worship service.
We need to remember why we need to do these things!
Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
And we need to stay in constant contact with our Savior!
We just cannot allow the things that go on in this world to knock us down!
*****Psa 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
We should also remember that God will test our faith from time to time.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
We should think of this as God trying to remove all our defective parts.
And we should just question our own selves and quit complaining and asking God why He has forgotten about us because that is impossible for Him to do!
What does God expect from us during these times?
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Why in the world should we get so discouraged since we know that God exist and He certainly cares for us?
It is vital that we endure these times of testing!
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Our hope is in the Lord!
1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
AND, God is never very far from His children!
*****Psa 42:6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
In verse 5 the writer of this Psalm, probably David, began to realize that he really had no good reason to fill so dejected but when we have a close personal relationship with our Father in Heaven, we need to make sure to tell Him everything.
We must also be persistent in our prayer!
We should show the Lord how we really feel, our feelings are important to the Lord!
And we should also remember the goodness of the Lord and how He has already brought us through the many trials of our life.
God makes a covenant with each one of His children and God will always keep His covenant!
It is good to remember these thing when we feel this world caving in on us.
The land of Jordan was the promised land to the Jews.
Eternal life in Heaven is the promised land to all, "whosoever will", call on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Where do we flee? We must flee to the Covenant of Grace!
Who made this covenant?
God the Father made a covenant with God the Son, brought about by God the Holy Spirit.
Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
God prepared His Son to be our sacrifice:
Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
God met all the conditions of His personal covenant:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
God work through the power of the Holy Spirit:
Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
God has kept this covenant and now works through the Lord Jesus to fulfill His covenant:
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
It is the "Throne of Grace" where we must flee in our times of trouble.
God made this covenant with Himself and it cannot be broken by anyone on this earth!
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The land of Jordan refers to the promised land, our promised land is the New Heaven and New Earth.
Deu 27:3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
The land of the Hermonites refers to place God commanded His blessings, The Lord commands our blessings from the Father's House.
Psa 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
And the hill Mizar refers to the New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
We can find comfort in the promises of God even in our times of trouble.
*****Psa 42:7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
We will all have to travel through the "sea of affliction" once we call on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior!
If we remember the story of Job, just as soon as one affliction was over another one came until Job had lost everything he had, but his God.
If you view the ocean you will see that one wave comes and before it is over, another is already on the way.
Some higher, some lower but they come continuously. A billow describes a great wave or a surge from the sea, possibly a Tsunami type of wave.
A water-spout is a large tube formed by the clouds and with it's circular motion and being hollow within, it attracts a vast quantity of water which it will pour down all at one time.
There is only One who we can turn to and that is Our God!
Zec 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
Zec 10:12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
*****Psa 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
Come what may it is the God of love that can sweeten our day!
Those that do not know the Lord have nowhere to turn but at any hour of the day or night, those that do know the Lord can turn to Him but only if He is the God of your life.
It is only the Living God that can be the God of our life!
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
Since the Lord is a living God He has life within Himself and therefore the "Author of" and the "Giver of" life to all others.
This is good reason to trust Him!
*****Psa 42:9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Since we know the Living God and only because we have a close and personal relationship with Him are we even allowed to ask such questions as these.
And it is only a loving Father who is patient enough with His children who will listen to us as we do!
There is no question that God will ever reject but we may not always like His answers!
The most important thing to remember is that God is truly Our Rock!
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
God gets no pleasure seeing His children suffer.
God gets no pleasure seeing the things that Satan tries to do to God's people.
We suffer because of the choices we make!
Satan uses the afflictions of this world to either cause us to backslide, to reject the Lord, or to loose our testimony.
So we must be more like Moses.
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season";
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: "for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward".
There are rewards for serving the One true and Living God!
*****Psa 42:10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
There is no doubt that the tongue of our enemies will cut to the bone and God will listen as we explain these things to Him. God already knows what we are going through and He does not mind as we explain these things to Him and listens intently as we express our feelings to Him in prayer.
God will not judge us, He just listens to His child as most any good parent would do!
When our enemies and our persecutors ask "Where is your God now" it can cut deeply but we know that our Lord is only a prayer away.
If we did not believe that, we would not be praying. Sometimes it's good just to get some things off your chest and Our Father in Heaven will even allow us that privilege at times if we have humbled ourselves before Him.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
In America we hear a lot about freedom of speech. This was installed into the our Constitution by our forefathers but it comes from our relationship with the Lord.
The Lord allows us the freedom to speak to Him and the confidence to know that He will patiently listen and He promises an answer.
God only has 3 answers.
Yes, No and not at this time!
When we pray we should remember we are at the "throne of Grace" and not the "throne of Judgment"!
God is never very far from His children!
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
We simply cannot allow the things of this world to tear us down!
*****Psa 42:11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Once we humble ourselves before the Almighty God we realize that we have no ground to complain!
He is our only help!
He is the only one who can drive the sorrow away!
It is He that our enemies hope does not respond to our prayers!
He is, He has been, and He will be, our strength and our salvation forever!
He is Our God!
Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And we must not forget what our job is after we are saved!
Isa 12:4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
We must keep the main thing, the main thing, and the main thing is "salvation" to whosoever will believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
Psalms 42
In Psalms 42 we have the second of the Maschil Psalms.
Remember all Scripture is given for instruction to improve our walk with the Lord!
2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
But the Maschil Psalms have special instructions for specific things that happen in our walk with the Lord.
What is the Biblical meaning of the Maschil Psalm?
Psa 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth: "sing ye praises with understanding".
In other words a Maschil Psalm is a song that praises God but just by singing it we can still obtain God's wisdom!
God is always looking down from Heaven just to see if we truly understand what He is trying to teach us.
Psa 53:2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, "to see if there were any that did understand", that did seek God.
Not only is this a Maschil Psalm but it is also the first time we have seen a Psalm that was to be sung by the sons of Korah.
These "sons of Korah" were Levites by bloodline of the tribe of Levi and during the time of David and Solomon their chief place was to keep the doors of the Tabernacle and then the Temple after it was built.
1Ch 6:32 And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office according to their order.
There are 11 of the Psalms titled "for the Sons of Korah" that were put to music by these doorkeepers of the House of God.
The doorkeeper was the lowest of the jobs of the Levitical priest but these men did not see it that way.
Psa 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness".
They readily boasted that is was better to be in the lowest position in the work of God than to be in the highest position among those that rejected God.
In other words it is better to be changing diapers in the nursery at church than to be the President of the United States or the most powerful person in this world and not know God!
There is no greater job than serving in the Army of God!
So let's begin:
*****Psa 42:1 To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
God never said our walk with Him would be an easy walk.
There will still be times when we will begin to wonder if God truly exists.
There will be times when we will desire any sign from the Lord just to know He is listening to our prayers.
There will be times when we have a great desire to be in the House of God but do to reasons out of our control we just cannot get there.
There will be times when we just want to feel that God is doing something in our lives and have a great desire and a need to just feel His presence.
This Psalm is intended to help us through those times and it begins by showing us that we are not alone because the Holy Ghost inspired this writer, probably David, to write about such a time that he was experiencing.
In the Bible a "hart" refers to a stag or a male deer. This was one of the clean animals and could be hunted and killed for food.
A deer will use every skill it has to allude the hunter even to the point of exhaustion avoiding a watering hole knowing they would be an easy target if they stopped to drink. They would have a great thirst for a refreshing drink of water that was necessary for life.
To pant describes an excited rapid movement of the heart.
We all know that our soul is the seat of all our emotions.
God created man as a unique being.
If we have evolved, we are just a higher form of some animal, without morals and without accountability and many people use this as an excuse to live anyway they so desire.
But the Bible teaches us that humans are moral creatures who are accountable to our Creator!
Man is also a "soul" and therefore eternal!
Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
And the Bible states that mankind is made in the image of God thus cannot be a product of evolution!
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
That word "our" means we were created after the image of the Tri-Une God, (Body, Soul, and Spirit)!
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It should be obvious to us that our soul will sometimes be longing for it's Creator our Maker!
*****Psa 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
Our soul, our true being, that is housed in our body of flesh will thirst for it's Creator!
We will sometimes miss a meal and in time we will feel the pangs of hunger.
But when you are thirsty for water it is an awful feeling that could lead to your death.
As a rule of thumb if you got caught out in dangerous cold most people could last no more than 3 hours.
Most people cannot go without water more than 3 days but no more that 8-10 days.
Most people can go without food for 3 weeks or more.
This writer was thirsting to the point of death for God, not water and not food!
God encourages us to be in the House of God in our appointed times of worship.
Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
We should have a desire to be in our place of worship!
BUT, even more than that, we need to thirst for that close and personal relationship with God.
Not with just any God but the True and Living God!
We need that desire to have fellowship with God Himself!
It is because Our God lives that He can give us "living water"!
What did Jesus tell that woman at the well?
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
A dead and an impersonal god is a mockery to any religion!
What is the truth of eternal life?
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
What is the truth of eternal life? Being in the family of God!
If we say we love the Lord but do not assemble in His name we are pretenders of the "Gospel"!
But if we do not crave that personal relationship with Jehovah the Living God then we are fooling ourselves because we cannot know true life!
Sometimes we can crave to be in the presence of God so much we will seek some real evidence that He has not forgotten about us.
*****Psa 42:3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
When we cannot feel the presence of the Lord and we know that we have not been drinking of that "Living Water" we soon also find out that there is nothing on this earth that will satisfy that longing for the Lord and this will lead to a miserable life.
It is our God in Christ Jesus that our soul will crave!
Those that do not know the Lord Jesus as their Savior also cannot know this craving of being close to our very personal God and they will always say, where is your God when you really need Him or they will say a true God would not allow such a thing to happen.
Only those that do not know our Savior could say these things!
When we are down because of the things that happen in this world, our enemies will always try to take advantage of that situation.
We should be very clear, Satan will do anything to keep us off of our knees!
But prayer is still our greatest weapon!
The God of the mountain is still God in the valley!
What is the irony of prayer?
God knows our needs, but He will sometimes make us ask.
God will answer every prayer that makes it to Heaven, but sometimes will have to be persistent and patient.
And it is only the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ that can be answered because this shows our faith in Him to solve our problems.
Calling upon our Father in Heaven, through the Holy Spirit, and in the name of His Son Jesus is the mark of the true believer!
Even with the greatest "faith" prayers not in the will of God will certainly not be answered.
But without "faith" no prayer can be answered!
Our understanding of prayer will correspond with our understanding of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ!
And we must remember all these things.
*****Psa 42:4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
God is our refuge and the place of our strength!
Hardly a day goes by that we are not caught up in the atrocities of this evil world we live in.
The phrase "come to pass" is used 161 times in the Bible. These things will come and they will pass and the answer is that when they come we need to pour out our souls to God!
In fact if we are in daily contact with our Father in Heaven we will miss out on many obstacles that cross our paths.
We need to attend the House of God regularly.
We need to get involved in the worship service.
We need to remember why we need to do these things!
Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
And we need to stay in constant contact with our Savior!
We just cannot allow the things that go on in this world to knock us down!
*****Psa 42:5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
We should also remember that God will test our faith from time to time.
1Pe 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
We should think of this as God trying to remove all our defective parts.
And we should just question our own selves and quit complaining and asking God why He has forgotten about us because that is impossible for Him to do!
What does God expect from us during these times?
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Why in the world should we get so discouraged since we know that God exist and He certainly cares for us?
It is vital that we endure these times of testing!
Jas 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
Jas 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Our hope is in the Lord!
1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 1:4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.
AND, God is never very far from His children!
*****Psa 42:6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
In verse 5 the writer of this Psalm, probably David, began to realize that he really had no good reason to fill so dejected but when we have a close personal relationship with our Father in Heaven, we need to make sure to tell Him everything.
We must also be persistent in our prayer!
We should show the Lord how we really feel, our feelings are important to the Lord!
And we should also remember the goodness of the Lord and how He has already brought us through the many trials of our life.
God makes a covenant with each one of His children and God will always keep His covenant!
It is good to remember these thing when we feel this world caving in on us.
The land of Jordan was the promised land to the Jews.
Eternal life in Heaven is the promised land to all, "whosoever will", call on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Where do we flee? We must flee to the Covenant of Grace!
Who made this covenant?
God the Father made a covenant with God the Son, brought about by God the Holy Spirit.
Isa 42:6 I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Isa 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
God prepared His Son to be our sacrifice:
Heb 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
God met all the conditions of His personal covenant:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
God work through the power of the Holy Spirit:
Rom 1:2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
God has kept this covenant and now works through the Lord Jesus to fulfill His covenant:
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
It is the "Throne of Grace" where we must flee in our times of trouble.
God made this covenant with Himself and it cannot be broken by anyone on this earth!
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
The land of Jordan refers to the promised land, our promised land is the New Heaven and New Earth.
Deu 27:3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.
The land of the Hermonites refers to place God commanded His blessings, The Lord commands our blessings from the Father's House.
Psa 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
And the hill Mizar refers to the New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
We can find comfort in the promises of God even in our times of trouble.
*****Psa 42:7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
We will all have to travel through the "sea of affliction" once we call on the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior!
If we remember the story of Job, just as soon as one affliction was over another one came until Job had lost everything he had, but his God.
If you view the ocean you will see that one wave comes and before it is over, another is already on the way.
Some higher, some lower but they come continuously. A billow describes a great wave or a surge from the sea, possibly a Tsunami type of wave.
A water-spout is a large tube formed by the clouds and with it's circular motion and being hollow within, it attracts a vast quantity of water which it will pour down all at one time.
There is only One who we can turn to and that is Our God!
Zec 10:11 And he shall pass through the sea with affliction, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the deeps of the river shall dry up: and the pride of Assyria shall be brought down, and the sceptre of Egypt shall depart away.
Zec 10:12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
*****Psa 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
Come what may it is the God of love that can sweeten our day!
Those that do not know the Lord have nowhere to turn but at any hour of the day or night, those that do know the Lord can turn to Him but only if He is the God of your life.
It is only the Living God that can be the God of our life!
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
Since the Lord is a living God He has life within Himself and therefore the "Author of" and the "Giver of" life to all others.
This is good reason to trust Him!
*****Psa 42:9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Since we know the Living God and only because we have a close and personal relationship with Him are we even allowed to ask such questions as these.
And it is only a loving Father who is patient enough with His children who will listen to us as we do!
There is no question that God will ever reject but we may not always like His answers!
The most important thing to remember is that God is truly Our Rock!
1Co 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
1Co 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
1Co 10:3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
1Co 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
God gets no pleasure seeing His children suffer.
God gets no pleasure seeing the things that Satan tries to do to God's people.
We suffer because of the choices we make!
Satan uses the afflictions of this world to either cause us to backslide, to reject the Lord, or to loose our testimony.
So we must be more like Moses.
Heb 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
Heb 11:25 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season";
Heb 11:26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: "for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward".
There are rewards for serving the One true and Living God!
*****Psa 42:10 As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
There is no doubt that the tongue of our enemies will cut to the bone and God will listen as we explain these things to Him. God already knows what we are going through and He does not mind as we explain these things to Him and listens intently as we express our feelings to Him in prayer.
God will not judge us, He just listens to His child as most any good parent would do!
When our enemies and our persecutors ask "Where is your God now" it can cut deeply but we know that our Lord is only a prayer away.
If we did not believe that, we would not be praying. Sometimes it's good just to get some things off your chest and Our Father in Heaven will even allow us that privilege at times if we have humbled ourselves before Him.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
In America we hear a lot about freedom of speech. This was installed into the our Constitution by our forefathers but it comes from our relationship with the Lord.
The Lord allows us the freedom to speak to Him and the confidence to know that He will patiently listen and He promises an answer.
God only has 3 answers.
Yes, No and not at this time!
When we pray we should remember we are at the "throne of Grace" and not the "throne of Judgment"!
God is never very far from His children!
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
Act 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
We simply cannot allow the things of this world to tear us down!
*****Psa 42:11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Once we humble ourselves before the Almighty God we realize that we have no ground to complain!
He is our only help!
He is the only one who can drive the sorrow away!
It is He that our enemies hope does not respond to our prayers!
He is, He has been, and He will be, our strength and our salvation forever!
He is Our God!
Isa 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isa 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
And we must not forget what our job is after we are saved!
Isa 12:4 And in that day shall ye say, Praise the LORD, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted.
We must keep the main thing, the main thing, and the main thing is "salvation" to whosoever will believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Questions?
Let's Pray!
