Verse of the Day 12/29
Psalm 42:8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life. English Standard Version (ESV)
Today's verse comes from Psalm chapter 42 which begins with "as the deer pants for water, so my soul longs for you", but reading the verse alone does not give the complete picture. The psalm is a "maskil", the purpose of which is to instruct, to make us wise. It is a psalm that calls us to call, to cry out to God in and through the challenges and trials in our lives.
Sometimes in our lives we feel like we are being pounded like the waves of the sea, to the point of being overcome. But the psalm call us to hold on, to hope in God for you will again praise Him. The psalmist is still in the midst of his trial at the end of the psalm, still fighting for that hope, not yet where he wants to be, (on the other side of it) but still trusting. Reading through the psalm there are times when it feels as if God had forgotten, even forsaken him, even then he still trusts and believes in the absolute sovereignty of God.
John Piper writes, "the psalmist never loses this grip on the great truths about God. They are the ballast in his little boat of faith. They keep him from capsizing in the chaos of his emotions, and there are many who know this to be true in their own lives."
Hymns such as "It is Well With My Soul" come to mind:
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, one of my favorite pastors and authors of the last century writes, "Have you ever realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?". It is easy to listen to ourselves about how bad things are. It is another thing to talk to yourself, with Biblical references like this passage or others such as "if God is for you who can be against you?
As I was reading and considering the verse and the subject matter a current contemporary Christian song came to mind, in particular the words:
Like I'm coming undone
This walk can often feel lonely
No matter what until this race is won
I will stand my ground where hope can be found
I will stand my ground where hope can be found
Your love is lifting me above all the lies
No matter what I face this I know in time
You'll take all that is wrong and make it right
You'll take all that is wrong and make it right (Lauren Daigle)
Where do you find yourself today in your "little boat of faith"? Talk to yourself of the love of Christ. Put your faith and trust in Him, call out to Him to be able to stand your ground where hope can be found.
-- In Christ, Mike Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. NIV
Psalm 42English Standard Version (ESV)
Book Two
Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?
To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of the Sons of Korah.
42 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?[b]
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
"Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation[c] 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?"
10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
"Where is your God?"
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
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