A series on the Psalms - the voice of emotions
(Click
on the link below to read the verses.)
When you’re
feeling discouraged.
Psalm 42
[Life is filled with emotions… anger and love; fear and courage; anxiety and peace. The Book of Psalms is also filled with emotions. They help us to validate our feelings and understand ourselves better; to grow in our faith and our relationship with Jesus; to understand the character of our Lord and how He works in our life.]
In 1964, Simon & Garfunkel released the song, “The Sound of Silence”. It’s a pensive poem about the inability of people to communicate with each other or to connect in a meaningful way. The result is loneliness and isolation which leads to a deep discouragement.
And in the naked
light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared disturb the sound of silence
We’ve all felt like this before. The Psalmist was
familiar with these feelings too. He had been exiled from his home into a
foreign land where everything was different. Particularly, the religious
ceremonies that had given meaning to his life in the past, had now been ripped
away from him.
4 My heart is breaking
as I remember how it used to be…
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
amid the sound of a great celebration! NLT
Even more discouraging for the psalmist, was the
people in this foreign land who mocked him and mocked his faith.
3 Day and night I have only tears for food,
while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,
“Where is this God of yours?” NLT
Despite this, he found reason for hope in the midst of despair.
5 Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and 6 my God! NLT
There are times when we feel like God is silent;
when He doesn’t seem to be present; when He feels distant. In the middle of this
discouragement, the Psalmist gives us reason for encouragement.
8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing
love upon me,
and through each night I sing his songs,
praying to God who gives me life. NLT
The sound of silence can be deafening! During those times it’s important to not
lose hope; to keep moving forward in faith, one step at a time; to seek the
Lord and His presence.
1 As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him? NLT
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