Psalm 42 - Longing for you.
It is tough when you know that you have to trust in God even when it feels as though He isn’t there.
My Dad likes to cycles everywhere (only using a car when he has to), and so as children we used to cycling everywhere too. Dad taught us well and so we knew how to ride our bikes safely on the road when there were cars about. I always felt safer when Dad cycled ahead of us allowing us to follow him. It would fill me with confidence. I would see him look behind before raising his arm to indicate that he was intending to turn right and then venturing away from the side of the road. Seeing him made me feel safe about imitating him and following him out into the middle of the road.
When I could see him ahead of me I felt like I could cycle anywhere, through any traffic over any distance.
This wasn’t, however, Dad’s preferred way of doing things. When he was ahead of us he could not see us. My Dad was always much happier when we cycled ahead of him so that he could keep an eye on our progress and safety. This of course meant that we could not see him, and if I was out in front it felt as though I was cycling alone. Even though I was sure that my Dad would look after me I never felt easy because I couldn’t see him I didn’t know for certain if he was still there. I felt vulnerable even though I wasn’t, but I couldn’t help feeling this way even though I knew my Dad wouldn’t let any harm come to us.
Psalm 42:3-4 (NIV)
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
Sometimes the world expects us to be confident when we feel vulnerable, because they want to know the truth; they want to know if our God is God. It is as though their glances are saying, ‘Where is your God?’
Occasionally we even find ourselves asking the same question; ‘Where is our God?’
At times like this it feels as though the Psalm is not being melodramatic when it says ‘tears have been my food’.
I was really blessed in church on Sunday. As I watched everyone around me worshipping God together, I found myself thinking how few and far between perfect weeks are; weeks in which everything goes right for us. Realising this I thought to myself that this must mean that chances are all these hundred or so people around me have not had a perfect week and yet they are filled with a desire to worship. Everyone’s worship was different but it was sincere and it encouraged me. Just watching them made me want to worship God, our God, all the more!
My Dad likes to cycles everywhere (only using a car when he has to), and so as children we used to cycling everywhere too. Dad taught us well and so we knew how to ride our bikes safely on the road when there were cars about. I always felt safer when Dad cycled ahead of us allowing us to follow him. It would fill me with confidence. I would see him look behind before raising his arm to indicate that he was intending to turn right and then venturing away from the side of the road. Seeing him made me feel safe about imitating him and following him out into the middle of the road.
When I could see him ahead of me I felt like I could cycle anywhere, through any traffic over any distance.
This wasn’t, however, Dad’s preferred way of doing things. When he was ahead of us he could not see us. My Dad was always much happier when we cycled ahead of him so that he could keep an eye on our progress and safety. This of course meant that we could not see him, and if I was out in front it felt as though I was cycling alone. Even though I was sure that my Dad would look after me I never felt easy because I couldn’t see him I didn’t know for certain if he was still there. I felt vulnerable even though I wasn’t, but I couldn’t help feeling this way even though I knew my Dad wouldn’t let any harm come to us.
Psalm 42:3-4 (NIV)
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
Sometimes the world expects us to be confident when we feel vulnerable, because they want to know the truth; they want to know if our God is God. It is as though their glances are saying, ‘Where is your God?’
Occasionally we even find ourselves asking the same question; ‘Where is our God?’
At times like this it feels as though the Psalm is not being melodramatic when it says ‘tears have been my food’.
I was really blessed in church on Sunday. As I watched everyone around me worshipping God together, I found myself thinking how few and far between perfect weeks are; weeks in which everything goes right for us. Realising this I thought to myself that this must mean that chances are all these hundred or so people around me have not had a perfect week and yet they are filled with a desire to worship. Everyone’s worship was different but it was sincere and it encouraged me. Just watching them made me want to worship God, our God, all the more!
posted by Andrew at 7:19 am
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