3/29 – Put Hope in God …video in the woods
Welcome to our third week of video worship for Calvary Church.
There's a Psalm I want us to talk about
today for a brief time and it's Psalm 42.
It's a psalm which I believe many of us can relate to for the simple fact that a lot of times in our life we get forgetfulness ---we call it dementia--- or
some people have Alzheimer's ---some people
have amnesia and they forget for a time.
I think sometimes we have a spiritual
amnesia and that's what Psalm 42 is
talking about. A spiritual amnesia so we know
42 is a psalm that is written not by King David but by someone else. It's a psalm which been one of my favorite Psalms for many -- many years and
hopefully you'll understand why as we go
through this passage today about psalm 42.
The psalmist starts off by saying as
the deer pants for streams of water so
my soul pants for you O God. As the deer
pants for streams of water, we have deer that run around these woods we have deer that run back behind me down through the valley + up through the hill on the other side. Typically when you think about a deer that's running ----why are they
running??
Normally it's because they're being chased --they're being hunted. Some of us like to hunt -- I have deer hunted often in the past and when you're
hunting and the deer see you ----they take off and they run from fear.
As the deer is panting for streams of water the deer being hunted chased--- maybe right now
you might feel like you're being hunted or chased? There's a lot going on within our society --today there's a lot going on within our businesses --there's a lot going on within our homes and --there's that question for God----where are you
The psalmist is going to say that but for
some people--- they can feel like there's a demonic that's chasing them--- hunting them down and my question is where do you and I turn???
As the deer pants for streams of water so--
my soul pants for you. My soul thirsts for God. The Hebrew word here for God is
Elohim ---Elohim my soul thirsts for Elohim
the Living God.
The deer thirsts for the water ---who do we thirst for??
It's interesting if we go to John chapter 4 when Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. She questions ---who are you Jesus??
He says, would you give me some water and then he says to her---- you know --if you knew who I was I can give you waters of life I will refresh your soul for eternity. In John chapter 7 we read that when he is at a festival in Jerusalem the last day of the festival John 7 verse 37 the greatest day of the festival Jesus stood up -----and said in a loud voice ---if anyone is thirsty come to me and drink whoever believes in me as the Scriptures has
said streams of water will flow forth from them…
As the deer pants for water -- as we feel the pressures of life coming on us where do we turn?
My prayers that we turn to the one who gives us life-- the water of life my soul thirsts for –
God the Living God ---when can I go and meet with God? That's a good question ---right
now around our nation around the world churches have canceled for Saturday and Sunday events throughout the whole week.
Where can we go to find God? The psalmist
says verse 3 my tears have been my food night and day ---my tears the first verse is that the deer is looking for that fresh water. We know that fresh water comes from Jesus Christ.
The psalmist says--- his tears were his water the question is where do you and I turn to during this time for grace and strength in our life?
While men say to me all day long where is your God? Have you heard that from some people this past 3-4 weeks --- why would God cause this to happen ----why would God allow this to happen
--- where is God in the midst of this
----friends I say God is right in the midst of it
--- God is walking with his people God is calling us as we talked about last week Sunday. Calling us to reprioritize ----to come back to be refocused on the Lord Jesus Christ
These things I remember so
says the psalmist. Oh we forget -- don't we
where is their God where is our God??
We forget we have that spiritual amnesia
but the psalmist says verse 4 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 soft throng.
I can't tell you how many people I've talked to the last three weeks that have said---pastor we miss worship we are so excited to come back to worship ---- somebody said when I come back to worship at Calvary man I'm gonna be walking in that church and dancing and singing and praising the Lord… how about you??
Are you missing worship --- are you missing that body of believers to be in worship with God as a deer pants for water can our souls also pant and long for Jesus Christ??
Why are you down cast oh my soul this is where the psalmist is getting into that spiritual amnesia again ---why are you down cast oh my soul??---why disturbed within me.
The Hebrew word there of disturbed actually means it's too roar or to growl. Why Lord –why are you down cast in my soul where are you God??
Spiritual amnesia ----ever think about the disciples the disciples who had walked with Jesus watched Jesus feed 5,000 plus women and children 4,000 plus women and children, the multiple times that Jesus raised somebody from the dead the thousands of miracles that he had and yet how often did they not forget to trust in him!!!
Peter denied Jesus three times ---then was arrested - betrayed ---how often don't we also forget we get that spiritual amnesia??
The psalmist says: why my soul why are you down cast o my soul why disturb within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him my Savior and my God.
There has to be a refocus we have to
refocus our eyes ---we have to refocus on
what we're looking at --- not at the
struggles. It's not at the pain but we
need to be looking at the fact that --yeah
I will praise you --- I will put my hope in
You ---
But then the next verse amnesia sets in again for the psalmist -- he says my soul is downcast within me --- but there's the uplifting --- therefore I will remember you in the land of Jordan from the heights of Hermon from Mount Mizar to remember God.
Some of you know that in the past we've talked about the fact that we're called to remember
rejoice and renew. Remember --rejoice –renew.
Right now it's the psalmist is saying we
need to remember. Where we have met God ---let me ask you where have you met God in the past??
Where do you meet God now in the present??
I know some people have a special place in their home--- that that is their worship ----that is
the prayer time ----
for myself some of you saw the video two weeks ago I love to do prayer time in front of our fireplace--- that's my special place. But in the remembering it's also looking back on your life and saying where were the times that you saw and you felt and you know Jesus Christ was walking with you…. and if he walked with you then he'll
continue to walk with you today!!
Next verses say deep calls to deep and the roar of your waterfalls ---your waves and your breakers have swept over me ---deep calls to deep ---the deep pain that we can feel ourselves in --- that we can enter into at times as God's children --- that pain that we have but that deep love that God gives to us also is over to over able to overcome anything that we're walking through.
And the waves and the breakers have swept over me. Think about Lake Michigan right now and the waves this last winter with the lake not
being frozen over ---- how the waves break on the water and break on the on the sands of the beach
---- that's God's grace that breaks into our lives.
By day the Lord directs his love
by night his song is for me a prayer to
the God of my rock.
I love this verse by day the Lord directs his love at night his song is with me. verse 2 where verse 3 was my tears are my food night and day.
The psalmist is remembering --- he's rejoicing ---he's renewing --- he's refocusing in the fact that God's love directs our lives by day by night his song is with us.
I say to my rock my God Elohim why
have you forsaken me ---why must I go about
mourning oppressed by the enemy ---again it's like a little spiritual amnesia going on---- of which we all questioned at times right don't we at times--- for good how God has walked with us and yet the
reality is God has never left us how we'll never leave you and nor forsake you ---my bones may suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me saying
to me all day long where is your God---verse 11 ends with the same words that we saw in verse 5 why are you down cast oh my soul?? Why so disturb within me??
Friends: refocus---put your hope in God for I will yet praise Him my Savior and my Redeemer.
Friends we don't need to have spiritual
amnesia within our lives--- as we remember how God has walked with us
? How Jesus Christ has walked with us in the
past
We can renew our commitment to him
Today
We can rejoice that we can worship electronically now ----but we will gather again -- churches around the world to give praise to you.
and we can be refocused knowing that you are our God and you are our Savior.
In the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit may God
bless you and keep you safe and grow in
relationship with them amen
