As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. can I come and appear before God?

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1 Explore the Bible Lesson Preview August 27, 2017 The Longing Background: Psalm Lesson: Psalm 42:1-11 Motivation: If God is all-powerful and all loving, why does He allow times of distress into our lives? Perhaps part of the answer lies in understanding that we cannot learn all of life s lessons during good times. If we want to be conformed to Christ s image, we must learn from times of distress. (Heb. 5:8-10) I. Thirsty As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, Where is your God? 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. (42:1-4) A. Times of Distress Can Produce a Longing for God. The psalmist is obviously going through a time of great distress, perhaps an illness, financial setback, or tragedy. What can we learn in times of distress? 1. Simile As the deer longs for streams of water (1) In the semi-arid regions of the 1 / 8

2 holy land, water meant the difference between life and death. Explore the Bible Commentary (Spring, 1999) (p. 41): The comparison seems to be between a body that cannot live without water and a soul that cannot survive without God. The word pants could also be translated longs for or thirsts for. Jesus said Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. (Matt. 5:6; Heb. 11:6) One value of fasting is that our physical longing is translated into a spiritual longing. The enemy of a deep spiritual intimacy with Christ is self-sufficiency. (II Cor. 3:5, 9:8, 12:9-10) When we feel adequate to supply our own needs, then there is no need for God. Times of distress bring us to the end of ourselves and reveal our inadequacy to cope with life s major issues. Such inadequacy can develop our longing for God. (John 15:5; Phil. 4:13) 2. Soul I thirst for God, the living God (2) (Matt. 16:16, 22:32, Rev. 1:8, 18) The issue is not physical or mental, it s a matter of the spirit. Our society often ignores this vital part of our humanity. We are spiritual beings, created in God s image. Although we rarely go through a day without feeding our bodies or minds, too often we deprive our spirits. Time of distress can actually be times of spiritual renewal because we focus on God and what He can do. B. Times of Distress Can Produce a Leaning on God Where is your God? (2b, 3b) 1. Where are you? When can I come and appear before God? (2b) Looking ahead to verse 4, the psalmist seems to be referring to church attendance. It is well documented that church attendance goes up during times of distress. Although we re clearly instructed to be consistent in church attendance (Heb. 10:25), hard times are a reminder that our first allegiance is to God s house. 2. Where is God? Where is your God? (3b) As amply illustrated by Job s friends, times of distress can bring out some hard questions. In Old Testament times, it was generally accepted that times of distress were proof of God s displeasure. The New Testament makes clear that God s love through Christ is unconditional. God is where He s always been on His throne. C. Times of Distress Can Produce Learning from Past Experiences I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 2 / 8

3 (4) Many things that we normally take for granted become especially precious to us during times of distress. A serious illness of tragedy ( My tears have been my food day and night. 3a) has a way of focusing our priorities and values. We tend to relive great spiritual experiences of our past; those become anchors to our soul during the storms. God s faithfulness to us in the past is the greatest practical indicator of His continued faithfulness. We must believe this despite circumstances. (Lam. 3:23; Rom. 8:18, 31-34) II. Drowning Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. 8 The Lord will send His faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night a prayer to the God of my life. (42:5-8) A. Refrain 42:5 is repeated in verse 11 and in 43:5 1. Recognition Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? The first step back from depression is to realize the problem. We ll never solve a problem until we admit a problem. (II Cor. 4:13-18) 3 / 8

4 2. Realization Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. No matter how deep the distress, the journey back must be guided by the hope God provides. hope in God is like a compass pointing consistently toward the destination. (Rom. 8:24-25; 15:4-13 God of hope ) B. Remember: The next three verses provide four things to remember during times of distress. 1. Sites land of Jordan...peaks of Hermon... Mount Mizar (6) What markers have you put down in your spiritual journey? Christians should place monuments, both through speech and the written Word of God s mighty acts in their lives. During times of distress one can revisit these sites where God has been meaningful to us in the past. 2. Solicitude The Lord will send His faithful love in the daytime (8) God s covenant love is unchanging. Through good times and bad it is unfailing. No matter how distressful times become, we can know absolutely that God loves us. 3. Songs His song will be with me in the night Hymns and praise songs are a great comfort during times of distress. Especially where scripture is embedded in the text, songs can be replayed again and again as a comfort against pain. (Rev. 5:9-10) 4. Supplication a prayer to the God of my life Prayer is usually the one thing that needs no encouragement during times of distress. A crisis will get us on our knees faster than anything. God encourages us to call on Him anytime. (Jer. 33:3, Isa. 55:6-7, Phil. 4:6-7) III. Crushed I will say to God, my rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy s oppression? 10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, Where is your God? 11 4 / 8

5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. (42:9-11) A. The Encouragement the God of my life (8), God, my Rock (9a), hope in God, my Savior my God (11) Throughout his ordeal, the psalmist understands that his only hope comes through God. Satan s most utilized tactic is to get our eyes off God and onto circumstances; this is the quickest path to discouragement. Encouragement comes from walking by faith and not by sight. (I Cor. 15:19) B. The Enigma Why have you forgotten me? (9) Where is your God? (10) We often get into trouble by asking the wrong questions. God does not forget us and He doesn t disappear! The appropriate question would be Why do I feel forgotten? or Why don t I feel God s presence? Notice that when we depend on feelings rather than on God s Word, we are setting ourselves up for failure. (Heb. 13:5-8) C. The Enemy the enemy s oppression (9) My adversaries taunt me (10) Enemies of God have one goal in mind: to shake our faith in God. Hard times will either make us bitter or better. Jesus said The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy... (John 10:10a; Ps. 23:5) D. The Effect sorrow oppression (9) crushing my bones (10) depressed turmoil (11) Depression has very real physical and emotional consequences. The Killer D s form a downward spiral: disappointment, doubt, defeat, discouragement, despair, and depression. At any point on the way down, we can claim God s power to begin the journey back to normalcy; however, if we don t turn to God, the downward progression is almost inevitable. E. The End I will still praise Him (11) One of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is to begin with the end in mind. Amid hard times, we must remember the rest of John 10:10 I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 15:11) 5 / 8

6 IV. Prayers for God s Intervention (Ps. 43:1-5) This Psalm is certainly linked to Ps. 42 (compare vs. 5 with Ps. 42:5, 11). Still experiencing distress, the psalmist turns in three ways. A. A Turning from Self to God (1) The inward lament of Psalm 42 turns into a direct plea to God for help. 1. A plea for vindication Vindicate me, God. 2. A plea for intercession defend my cause. 3. A plea for deliverance rescue me. B. A Turning from Lament to Intercession (2-3) The lament of verse 2 turns into the plea of verse 3. Rather than just praying for God to do something (1), the psalmist pleas for God s resources ( Your light, Your truth ) to allow him to function properly. The results of intercession to God would be the psalmist s return to the temple. C. A Turning from Negative to Positive (4-5) Then I will come to the altar of God...my greatest joy... I will praise You. (4) Although verse 5 is a virtual repeat of Ps. 42:5, 11, the positive context gives it an upbeat message. Now instead of questioning God, the psalmist seems to be questioning himself What right do I have to be downcast seeing that I have such an awesome God?! Seen in this light, the psalm ends on a positive note. (Rom. 11:33-36, Deut. 29:29) Application: 6 / 8

7 1. Times of distress can bring us closer to God. 2. Times of distress require us to remember God s goodness. 3. Times of distress will only have a happy ending if we turn to God. Explore the Bible Teachers Packet: Item 9: Poster: Authorship of the Psalms No Biblical Illustrator Article Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: y.org ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 8/20 Back to School Sunday; 8/23 Midlink/Milestones Preview Night; 8/27 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/30 11/15 Midlink on Wednesdays; 9/4 Labor Day Church offices closed; 9/8 - Marriage Matters; 9/8-10 SPF Family Camp; 9/10 MIYCO; 9/10 Dr. Jeremiah Loop; 9/10-17 Museum of the Bible Exhibit; 9/16 7 / 8

8 Men:Serve; 9/17 Dr. Peter Loop; 9/24 SPF Birthday Bash; 9/24 LBS Fall Luncheon; 10/15 First Camp Preschool; 10/20-21 Men s Retreat; 10/22 - Parent Commitment. 8 / 8