Aspects of Loneliness - 6
THERE IS A WAY OUT! - Psalms 42 & 43.
The Bible is a very honest book. As we read it we discover that many of its heroes had their dark days, when nothing was going right and God seemed far away. In these studies we are looking at the great problem of loneliness that we all face from time to time. Psalms 42 and 43 were probably one Psalm when written, and as we look at them we will see that the writer was brought from Trouble and Tears to a position of Trust and Triumph.
First of all, it is obvious that he was in... Trouble. This poem is addressed to the choirmaster and is called a Maskil of the Sons of Korah. Now that is important, because Maskil is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, and these two psalms set out to teach us how to handle loneliness. A little chorus appears three times and the psalmist, probably King David, cried out in his trouble "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?" It is suggested that this was written when King David was in exile outside the City of Jerusalem. He had been driven there by his own son Absalom, who had conspired against his father in order to take the throne away from him. Forsaken and even betrayed by many of his former friends, David was in deep trouble.
Perhaps that is your problem. You don't know which way to turn; your friends are few and your troubles are many. You almost feel as though these words were written for you, because, like the psalmist, your soul is cast down and your heart is disturbed within you! These psalms have a message for you.
The writer realises that only God can lift his spirits and fill the loneliness in his heart. He expresses his deep longing with a beautiful prayer picturing the thirsty hart, and saying that in the same way as the deer pants for the brook, so his heart longs for the living God. Then he lets us into a little of the secret of his loneliness, as he cries "When shall I come and behold the face of God?" The presence of the Lord, once so real to him, has become nothing more than a memory, and he feels very low. Is that where you are today? Take a leaf out of David's book and cry out to God, and you will not be disappointed.
Jeremiah, the prophet was a man who knew the heartache of loneliness. In the 29th chapter of his book, and verse 13 he writes: "This is what the Lord says...'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart'." Solomon, David's son, tells us in Proverbs chapter 8 verse 17 "those who seek Me find Me." The Lord does not mock us, and He will always reveal Himself to the genuine seeker.
Before the psalmist came right back to God, however, he was to experience a time of... Tears. He was so lonely and disturbed that he couldn't eat or drink. He said "my tears have been my food day and night." He tried hard to cheer himself up by remembering the times when he had enjoyed God's presence, when he had actually led the procession of worshippers to the House of God, but it just seemed to make matters worse. The thought of the joy and thanksgiving which came through worshipping the Lord brought even more tears to his eyes, and again he cries out "Why are you downcast, O my soul?" It is as though he is saying, "I know it is because I no longer enjoy the presence of the Lord, but why has He withdrawn from me. There must be a reason, but I don't know what it is." Does this echo a chord in your heart? Can you look back to days when you were like the disciples on the Emmaus road?
They said "Did not our hearts burn within us as Jesus walked with us and talked with us on the way?"
Well, don't give up hope, for the psalmist did come into a fresh experience of God's love and power, and it came through... Trust. The glimmer of hope seems to start in verse 3 of Psalm 43, as he asks God for light and truth; this is where we all need to start when we're feeling lonely and depressed. There is a way out, it is the truth of God's Word linked with the light of His guidance upon it. It is the Holy Spirit making the scriptures real and living to the believer. David says: "If you will do that for me, I will go to your altar with joy and I will praise you with the harp." What a difference! What a change!
There often comes a time in the lives of Christians when they discover that their trust in God must come through the Word of God. Our experiences of God and His dealings with us can be an encouragement to others. The ministry of other Christians is often a very real help, but, in the end, our confidence in the Lord must be based upon His inspired Word. Nothing else will withstand the tests and trials of loneliness and heartache. This is what the psalmist is saying. You are feeling lonely and depressed, and nothing you can do relieves the feeling. You have considered all the good times of the past, and recalled again the unchangeable relationship that you have with the living God, but it just doesn't seem to help. When you reach that point you have nothing left but to rely upon God's Word, to let His truth grip your heart, and His promises heal your broken spirit. You have nothing left, but you need nothing more!
As the psalmist draws to a close he again uses the little refrain that has occurred twice previously, but it seems as though this time there is a difference. It's not a prayer, nor a vain hope, but a moment of truth and.. Triumph. He asks himself once again why he is downcast; why he is disturbed. Then he takes the place which God wants him to occupy, and says "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God."
There are three simple thoughts in this verse, and it is a good note on which to close our brief study today. First, we are to Put our Hope in God." Some versions render it "Yet I will wait for God" or "Wait patiently upon God." The motto of the world is "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush", or let's get all we can now, without having to wait. God says that patience is a Christian virtue, and when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he commended them for their "hope-filled patience." That is what we need! Then the psalmist says "I will yet praise Him"; he is determined to praise God immediately his spirits are lifted. Answers to prayer must always bring forth praise. Finally he says "He is my Saviour and my God." That is where we need to be - in a personal, ongoing relationship with our Saviour God! Is that where you are today?