F O O T H O L D
READING
30 A CRY FOR HELP
PRAY Meet my need through
the scriptures today, loving Father.
READ Psalm 42:111; 43:15.
THINK For what does the Psalmwriter thirst? What action does he take?
FOCUS All of us go through
times when our worship appears dull and flat,
and God seems far away. The
writer of this Psalm knew feelings
like that.
He describes himself as
thirsty for God. Like a deer in a rain
starved wilderness, he wants
only one thing. He has a spiritual
dryness and he thirsts to
worship in God's presence (1,2). This is
accentuated by the
misfortune of being a Levite exiled a long way
from home. It is probable he
lived in Dan during the reign of
Jeroboam I. We are told in 1
Kings 12:2831 that the people of the
North were forbidden to go
on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Later he
probably moved south (2
Chronicles 11:1317). He remembers great
experiences in the Temple,
when he joined happily in the festival.
But these memories only make
his present exile more painful (4).
Recollection can lead in one
of two directions: either to
melancholy, despair or selfpity,
or else to a new resolution and
purposefulness. The psalmist
chooses the latter. The past is for
instruction, not mere
nostalgia. Obviously Psalms 42 and 43 were
each ending with the same
refrain. In the words of this refrain
the psalmist speaks bluntly
to himself. Notice the question he
asks himself. (42:5,11; 43:5).
Selfpity asks 'Why me?' and
stops there. Faith also asks why, but
goes on to act. What does
the psalmist resolve to do? If we do
this, the change in the way
we feel may not be 'instant', but if
we go on trusting God even
when it's hard, things will improve.
PRAY Pray for anyone you
know who is in trouble.
=
