“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon —from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42

“If you refer to the inscription with which this psalm opens, you will find that it is addressed to the Choirmaster, and is called a Maskil of the Sons of Korah. These inscriptions are part of the inspired record; they belong with the psalm and indicate something vital about it. Maskil is the Hebrew word for teaching. This Psalm is intended to teach something to us. What? Judging by the repeated refrain, it is intended to teach us how to handle our blue moods, the times when we get up in the morning and say, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?” (Ray Stedman, A Song of Confidence)

We all know that there are some mornings where we seem to come alive as soon as our feet hit the floor — we hit the day saying “Good morning, G-d.” And then, there are those other mornings, those days where we can hardly drag our bodies out of bed — where we can only manage to pry open our eyelids, sit dejectedly on the side of the bed and say, “Good G-d, it’s morning.”

It is the later of my examples that are in view here — those mornings of dejection and self-pity. The Psalmist comes to us with an answer for each blue mood, each bad day, each time we want to give up: “Hope in G-d;” i.e., wait for G-d. G-d is in control — even when everything around us seems to be telling us different. G-d is working out G-d’s purposes — we just need to hang in and hang on — and to continue to praise G-d for all G-d has blessed us with.

PRAYER

Lord God, never-failing fountain of life, through the saving waters of baptism you called us from the depth of sin to the depths of mercy. Do not forget the trials of our exile, but from the wellspring of the Word satisfy our thirst for you, so that we may come rejoicing to your holy mountain, where you live and reign now and forever.

Amen.

I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue: “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure. “Surely everyone goes around like a mere phantom; in vain they rush about, heaping up wealth without knowing whose it will finally be. “But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools. I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this. Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand. When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth —surely everyone is but a breath. “Hear my prayer, LORD, listen to my cry for help; do not be deaf to my weeping. I dwell with you as a foreigner, a stranger, as all my ancestors were. Look away from me, that I may enjoy life again before I depart and am no more.” Psalm 39

The psalmist says, “Show me Lord the number of my days.” We all have wondered from time to time what the length of our life will be. We look at the lines on our palms wondering if they have something to say — though not seriously. But for sure, if we had some concept of how much time we have left on this earth, would it change how we view the world? After all, we have certain things that we think about evil, about crime, about how the wicked seem to prosper and the good suffer. So, if we knew we only had another year, would we spend more time fighting evil rather than saying “I just don’t have the interest or the time?” And, do we really care or really feel as if “G-d is capricious and doesn’t really care?”

The psalmist comments on the capriciousness of life. If you think about it, we are just a puff of smoke in this universe, and all that we do is quite pointless in the context of the eternity of the universe. We are all “but a breath…dwelling like foreigners”. So this psalm helps us face our inherent mortality. And it also makes us face a crucial spiritual question: Will I trust in G-d even though my life is a puff of smoke and I will eventually pass from this life? If we can embrace a trust in G-d, then–as Paul says–though we will all die, our death will lead to new life. Those who try to hold on to life will lose that battle no matter how long they struggle. But through the resurrection of Jesus, we too will live a new life.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, through your Son you taught us not to fear tomorrow but to commit our lives to your care. Withhold not your Spirit from us, but help us find a life of peace after these days of trouble; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.