Fear and Faith

That is , [I am far away from the peace and safety of Jerusalem,] here I am surrounded by the noise of chaos. The crashing sound of your waterfalls fills my ears,

j all your breakers and your k waves have gone over me.

and your waters like breakers and waves overwhelm me. It feels like I'm drowning. And it feels like you're doing this to me.

By day the Lord l commands his steadfast love,

Yet throughout the noise and chaos and struggle, God comforts me with his presence. He sends his hesed to me, his lovingkindness and steadfast, faithful love, by day

and at m night his song is with me,

and his song is with me in the quiet of the nighttime,

a prayer to the God of my life.

this song is a prayer to the God who sustains my life.

I say to God, n my rock:

I ask God, who is my foundation , my rock, the one who keeps me grounded and protects me,

“Why have you forgotten me?

"Why have you forgotten about me?

o Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

And why am I in mourning because of the ways my enemies oppress me?"

As with a deadly wound in my bones,

Like a mortal wound that goes deep down into the bone,

my adversaries taunt me,

my enemies taunt me. It feels like they're killing me.

p while they say to me all the day long,

They taunt me by continually and constantly asking,

“Where is your God?”

"Where is your God now?"

concessive

actionmanner

q Why are you cast down , O my soul,

You, my soul are downcast and in despair. But why?

and why are you in turmoil within me?

You're so deeply troubled and disturbed. But w hy ?

Hope in God;

Confidently wait for God,

for I shall again praise him,

because I WILL once again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

my God who saves me.

r Vindicate me, O God,

Avenge me, O God,

and s defend my cause against an ungodly people,

and plead my case against ungodly people,

from t the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!

and deliver (rescue) me from the untruthful and unrighteous man.

For you are u the God in whom I take refuge;

Because you, God, are the one in whom I hide. I take refuge in you (my rock -v9a).

why have you v rejected me?

But it feels like you have you rejected me. Why?

Why do I w go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

And I'm in mourning because of how the enemy oppresses me. Why?

situationresponse

x Send out your light and your truth;

Send out your light and truth, your "divine faithfulness" (Kidner) to give me direction.

let them lead me;

Lead me by them

let them bring me to your y holy hill and to your z dwelling!

And by them bring me to your holy hill, Jerusalem, and your dwelling place, in the tabernacle.

actionpurpose

Then I will go to the altar of God,

When I arrive, then I will go to holy altar of God,

to God my exceeding joy,

to where I meet with and worship God , who is my exceeding joy.

and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

And then I will praise you, O my God, with music.

a Why are you cast down , O my soul,

So you, my soul, are downcast and in despair. But why?

and why are you in turmoil within me?

And you are so disturbed and in such turmoil. Why?

b Hope in God;

Instead , hope in God and confidently wait for him.

for I shall again praise him,

because , I will once again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

my God who saves me. (literally "the salvation of my face")

an expression coming out of the longing in his soul; how the longing in his soul manifests itself in words

not only was the worship of God a blessing but also the camaraderie of being with other joyful believers was encouraging "For the psalmists the heart of the matter in public worship was undoubtedly God himself (1, 2), but the comradeship and stirring ritual of a great occasion were an added delight." -Derek Kidner, TOTC

verse 1-5 thought: The psalmist is desperate and thirsty for God because currently God seems distant. Enemies taunt and say that God is far off and of no help. So, the psalmist remembers past times of worshipping with others and the joy and encouragement from that. Then he tells himself that there's no need to be downcast. Instead he should confidently wait for God, for he will once again praise the God who saves him. IN THE MEANTIME--while waiting to stand before God and realize final and full salvation--the experience of worshipping with other believers was the encouragement that sustained him. Application: worship gatherings are a foretaste, an appetizer, of the worship and praise awaiting us in heaven.

He is not where he would like to be but he acknowledges where he is and decides to choose his thoughts carefully. Instead of giving up to despair, he remembers God, specifically by recognizing God's faithful steadfast love (8a) and through prayer (8b-c).

what is significance of "light and truth"? where else are they linked? >John 1

if vindicate means Avenge or Declare me innocent, then this could be the first step of a 3 step progression leading to deliverance. (declare me innocent > take up my case and defend it > deliver me) If vindicate means Deliver, then it is the Idea followed by the 2 part explanation of Defend and Deliver

He finds comfort in telling God his problems and even his feelings of abandonment and rejection (2b)

"...it is no relief to say that God does not rule the wind and the waves. So the psalmist affirms God’s sovereign love for him in and through all the troubles." (Piper)

this prayer song is not a happy joyful song but it is still a song of faith

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 yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them but they are talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. S omebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you. Now this man’s treatment [in Psalm 42] was this: instead of allowing this self to talk to him, he starts talking to himself. “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” he asks. His soul had been depressing him, crushing him. So he stands up and says: “Self, listen for moment, I will speak to you.” (Martyn Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression , 20–21)

God is not just an idea or a memory; he is alive and able to help and save.

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