Psalm 42 – Re-align and be revived

Psalm 42, is a Miskil that kicks off the second book of Psalms. Its purpose is to instruct us listeners. Compiled for the choir director, it is ascribed to the sons of Korah. They are the Levitical performers who sang this Psalm rather than the writer. David is believed to be the one who had penned it. Psalms 42 and 43 are better taken together. In fact some Hebrew manuscripts joined them together. The two reasons why it is so are: (1) both Psalms share the same theme, (2) Psalm 43 does not have a superscript. The occasion David complied these Psalms was when he had to escape from his son Absalom. Although his circumstances looked bleak, yet he had great hope in God. Here we see David’s mood progressed from one of dejection to one of confidence and trust. He could end up triumphantly because his hope rested in God. This should encourage us to lean on God and know that he is our ever trustworthy and reliable help. Like David, our hope should also rest in Him no matter how adverse our situation may appear.

In this Psalm David started with a deep yearning for God. This picture of the deer panting for water is an apt picture of deep thirst. Here we sense a deep dissatisfaction for not being able to enjoy the presence of God, as freely as he used to have. We are thankful that as believers, our Lord’s presence is with us all the time. He promises to be with us always. He is ever waiting for us to enter and connect with Him, anywhere, anytime. The question is do we yearn for God as David had yearned for His presence?  

   

Remember that David was driven from Jerusalem and away from the temple where he had enjoyed the time he spent with God. Instead of leading the throng in worship, he now had to flee for his life. This plus the accusations and ridicule hurled at him, brought him into a time of dejection. David expressed the desire for his ordeal to end. Here we see an expression of intense longing to return to those times when he could freely bask in the presence of God. As he recalled those precious times spent with God, he longed to have those experiences once again. Verse 2 expressly reveals his inner struggles. He wondered how long he had to endure before he could have those experiences again.    

David’s dealing with his circumstances left us with an example on how we can deal with ours. He dealt with his anguish of soul by talking to himself about God, who assured His future. He expressed his hope and certainty that there would be a positive outcome. As the threats of his circumstances got stronger and the accusations hurled seemed relentless, he found his faith reviving as he contemplated God. He realized that God was still in control and He was still God. He then was assured of God’s love and continued to offer songs of praise to Him. David then channeled his questioning and expression of despair into an occasion of prayer. Murmuring and grumbling about our hardship are exercises in futility. Like David we should learn to redirect our energy to praise and prayer to God.

Here we see David expressed his personal faith in God. He chose to bring his focus on God. Let’s learn from David. We should not put our eyes on our trials for if we do that, we will forget that we have a good God. But when we turn our focus on God, He’ll become our Rock. No matter what we are encountering, let’s realign our focus. Let’s lift our eyes above the troubles and chose to praise Him. He is still good all the time!