Psalm 42:1-11 Why So Glum?
David is far from Jerusalem. His heart is troubled but he doesn’t really have a reason for it. He KNOWS God is his hope, yet his heart hurts.
David is feeling empty because he is so far from the House of God. He doesn’t tell us why he isn’t in Jerusalem, just that he misses being able to meet with God in the Tent he set up for the Ark. That is where he feels closest to God.
Could it be that David is far from Jerusalem because he was driven from it by Absalom? I don’t know if David is referencing the same place he hid from Absalom but it sounds plausible to me. Something has removed David from his customary place of meeting with God, and he is deeply missing that closeness.
When I first read this psalm I felt like David was depressed without specific cause. I can CERTAINLY relate to that! Depression doesn’t always follow rational rules. Things can be going just fine, in other people’s eyes, but there is an emptiness that threatens to swallow you. This may still be the case with David but he appears to have a root cause. I suppose that if you dig deep enough, every depression has a root cause.
To me, David appears to be trying to shake himself out of the grip of depression. He is looking for the source. He is also reminding himself of all the good times he has had with God. He also reminds himself that there ARE MORE of those times in his future. “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (verse 11b).
Even in the midst of David’s down time, he has comfort from the Lord. “By day the Lord commands His steadfast love, and a night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life” (verse 8). David apparently knows that God is still watching over him, even if he doesn’t feel the fullness of His presence at the moment. These gifts though will see David through.
God NEVER leaves us alone! Even when I was at my lowest points there was always something calling out to me to just hold on a little longer. There was a glimmer of hope. Hope that one day the feelings would pass. Hope that things weren’t as they appeared to me. Hope because HE was and is my hope and that He would again return the joy of my salvation.
God also used the fear of what would become of my children to motivate me to carry on. He uses the hope of one day standing in His presence again with David. He knows what will motivate you in your valleys too. And He is NOT afraid of reaching down into our valleys and raising us up again!
Father God, my hope TRULY is in You! You sustain me as well as change me. You bring me back to the place of joy. You hold my hand and walk me out of the dark places. You DON’T abandon me, EVEN when it is me that turns away. My heart DOES long to be with You even though I can’t go to a physical place of worship. I LOVE meeting You HERE! I just wish my eyes didn’t try and shut so often.
Thank You Father for restoring health to my family member. Keep building back up her strength. Thank You for letting me serve her and for alerting me to any potential complications.
