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 my God! Psalm 42: 11, NLT.
Gracious God, Here we are again. We will hope in You, and not be discouraged by all that we see taking place around us. Please teach us how to keep our eyes on You; for Christ’s sake. Amen
Today we want to continue looking at some of the feelings that come to the surface, as we get into the study of this psalm. Yesterday we heard the psalmist lamenting the taunt that was thrown at him by his enemies as they watch him, cast down in spirit, and with tears flowing down his face. “Where is this God of Yours?” Today, we continue with another lament. This time he is lamenting about “how it used to be” when he would walk to the temple, leading out in the singing. Those were the “best of times.” Now as he calls to mind those days, he can hardly bear the thought:
“My heart is breaking when 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” (4, Emphasis provided)! Now his heart is breaking. This expression describes a very serious condition. It is a life-threatening condition. It is what caused the death of the Savior! His heart was broken, for you and for me. Whenever we are really hurting, when we are depressed, and downtrodden, we use this expression to convey, the depth of our pain.
I believe that all of us have memories that cause us pain. When we call to mind “the way things used to be,” oftentimes we are filled with aching. Perhaps that is why we are admonished, under inspiration, “Don’t long for the ‘Good old days.’ This is not wise” (Ecclesiastes 7: 10, NLT). On the other hand we are admonished, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118: 24, NRSV). We cannot bring back tomorrow; neither to relive it, nor to correct it. So let it go! Today is the first day of the rest of your life, make the best of it. Yesterday is a part of history. Tomorrow belongs to the future. But today is God’s gift to you, enjoy it! (I hope that I will follow this advice!)
In a three part series that I have preached on several occasions, entitled, “A Tale Of Three Cities,” the people who live in the City of “If,” are always longing for those things that are now behind them, and that cannot be retrieved. “If only I had done this, or that!” Well, the truth of the matter is, that you did not do it. But you are still alive, which proves that it was not a matter of life or death. So just keep on living. Do not stop in your tracks. Life will pass you by, and then you will have more unemployed opportunities to lament.
There are beautiful moments that God’s Word encourages us to retain as memories. These recollections cause us joy. They energize, and encourage, us! They are on Paul’s, “Think On These Things,” list (Philippians 4: 8). These are the things that will help to pull us out of depression, and plant our feet on higher ground! In the days to come, we will observe how Korah goes up and down in his feelings. Feelings are not faithful guides, they are thermometers that help to make us aware of where we are, so that we may seek the help we need.
We will continue this conversation tomorrow.