It has been said that to talk to oneself is the first sign of insanity. However, this week in our series on 'The Psalms and Prayer' we find a psalmist who does just that - talks to himself!
Psalms 42 & 43 present the circumstances, thoughts and feelings of a person in deep despair. So much so, his tears are his food day and night. Externally, he is taunted by his enemies. Internally, he feels forsaken and rejected by God, overwhelmed with all that is going on around him, and he thirsts for God. However, what he sees and what he feels does not detract from what he knows of God, his rock and salvation. And so he speaks to himself, exhorting himself to 'hope in God', for he knows he will again praise him.
Many of us today can empathize with the psalmist as we struggle with the demands of life, face disheartening situations, and cope with depression. We may often ask ourselves why we feel so glum, perhaps even out of guilt, thinking that Christians should never be so sad or depressed. We have here an amazing opportunity, to learn from a wise, learned and mature man of God. We can see how he deals with life, especially when what he is experiencing doesn't add up with what he knows of God - when what we sees happening around him and what he feels within himself doesn't match what he knows of God, who is his strength, his refuge and salvation. He knows God has promised him deliverance... but at the moment, he feels completely forgotten and rejected by God.
We have all the more reason in this age, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, to encourage ourselves and one another to 'hope in God', and to know that we will indeed again praise him. |
