Author: Jon Green

There are so many major life milestones worthy of celebration. Psalm 45 drops us right into one of those moments as we read about his upcoming wedding. While this psalm is about a literal wedding, it is loaded with Messianic undertones. C.S. Lewis believed this psalm pointed to Christmas and the birth of Christ. John, when he wrote Revelation, used language from this psalm to describe the future return of Christ. 

In Psalm 45, the sons of Korah, a group of Levites responsible for musical worship in the temple, bring us into a wedding celebration. Throughout the psalm, it talks about a glorious wedding that takes place between a king and his love. In verse 15, the beloved and her companions are “Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king.” The sons of Korah were stating that the beloved will enter the palace of the king with overflowing joy and happiness, filled with anticipation to finally be in the same presence of her beloved. Earlier in the passage, verses 10-11 give word to the royal bride to “Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. Let the king be enthralled with your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.” As we read this, it is a reminder for us to leave what may seem comfortable or known, and follow the ways of the Lord and see His goodness! 

As we step into today, remember that the Lord is coming. We should be overly excited, friend! Just as we anticipate marrying our significant other (or any other major life event), anticipate the coming of the One who sees us to be so significant. Know that anything that is good to us on Earth, is nowhere close to the goodness we will experience with Jesus! Throughout today, remember who He is, and be excited for His return. Acknowledge where your heart lies in this period of your life and ask the Lord to create an exhilaration and desire for Him to return over everything. 

At first glance, this can be a rather surprising chapter. The author is basically telling God what He should do! He does this all the while maintaining his own personal innocence (very similar to parts of the book of Job). It feels like the roles are reversed from what they should be. One would think that the author should be humble enough to admit his own faults, and then ask the Lord for direction on what to do next, right? This is not the formula for which this chapter plays out. 

When you dig deeper into this passage, however, this psalm is not necessarily declaring that God is in the wrong. Instead this is an example of the author trying to remind himself that God is always in the right! In the middle of frustration, the author begins by reminding himself that God was faithful in the past. Then the very last word of this chapter is a declaration of God’s unfailing love. It’s like the author is saying “God I know your character. You are a faithful Father who loves His children. Because of what I know about you, I’m confused about my situation. Why are you letting your children suffer when I know you don’t want them to?” 

This type of honesty is crucial in our walk with God. If we aren’t willing to be fully authentic with Him, our relationship won’t have the depth it needs. This type of theological struggle described in the passage is exactly the type of “work out” our faith sometimes requires. This psalm is a reminder of the story in Genesis when Jacob wrestled with God (Genesis 32). Sometimes our faith calls for a bit of wrestling. There will no doubt be times when we need to fight to see the faithfulness of God. We will have dark seasons in which we will need to remind ourselves that God is always bringing us closer to His light. So when you don’t like your situation, start telling God about His character. When you do, you’ll be reminded of who He is and what He has promised to do for you.

In many of the psalms we have read so far, we see the author pouring out his heart to God, asking why the world is the way it is⏤looking for an answer, for hope in the darkness. Psalm 43 is no exception, and it is a perfect example of what to do when we feel oppressed and discouraged. 

In this short psalm, there are four questions the Sons of Korah (the authors) ask. Reread these questions in verses 2 and 5. Sometimes Scripture asks questions that are responses to an author’s circumstances, and they are there to serve a point. These questions show us that when we are wronged, discouraged, or confused, we can express ourselves honestly to God. Christianity is not a faith where we are required to bottle up our hurt and confusion. It’s a faith where we can bring our emotions to the light. 

In addition to questions and cries of lament to God, there is another response. In verses 3 and 5, the author asks for God’s light and truth (found in His Word), a path to the Holy Mountain (referring to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, where people went to collectively praise God), and a declaration that he will praise God with his harp (worshiping through song). 

These desires for praise aren’t there because everything was going great for the psalmist. They aren’t there because the psalmist felt close to God. As we saw earlier, the author actually felt far from God. But the psalmist knows when we are troubled or things aren’t going well, God is our “only safe haven” (v. 2). So when we feel like we are far from God, the best thing to do is express that to God and sing His praise, just like the psalmist did here.

As we begin reading Psalm 42 today, some of us might have a soundtrack slowly rising in the background of our minds. The first verse served as the basis for a popular worship song written in 1984, “As the Deer.” It offers a calming melody and words of devotion to God. Reading this full psalm paints a different picture.

This is a gritty, groaning, gutsy chapter depicting the back-and-forth struggle between the writer’s earthly feelings and heavenly faith. We can almost hear the two different voices pleading and praising in the author’s mind and heart: one relaying suffering and the other reminding the solution. For example: 

Suffering: My tears have been my food, day and night, while people say to me all day long,“Where is your God?” (v. 3)

Solution: These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. (v. 4)

Suffering: Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? (v. 5)

Solution: Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (v. 5)

We often avoid sharing our suffering with God. We have been misled to believe God doesn’t want us to speak of it or to question it. When suffering comes, and it absolutely will, many well-intentioned friends skip over validating our pain and refrain from sitting in sympathy as we suffer. Instead, we are given “coffee cup” scripture and paraphrased principles. We are encouraged to “focus on the good” with the unspoken direction to silence the difficult. There is some hidden undercurrent that acknowledging the suffering seems unholy.

But here’s the thing: God hears both. We do not need to hide our pain or protect Him from our questions. We do not need to feel shameful or shaky in our faith because of our suffering. Rather, God’s power is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), our faith is strengthened in our suffering (1 Peter 5:9), and we are refined through the fire of challenges (Isaiah 48:10).

So we can share our suffering with God and proclaim Him as the solution – all with the same faith and in the same breath.  We can bring our gritty, groaning, gutsy pleas to His feet and praise His faithfulness. We can claim the refrain of Psalm 42 for ourselves:

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.

David uses this psalm to demonstrate how considering the poor can transform one’s life from the illusion of self-sufficiency to that of total dependence on God. Consideration extends beyond just a thought to wise action and intervention. We often think of being poor as purely a monetary or physical condition. The term poor, or poverty, does not simply refer to people in lower economic standing. There is also emotional, relational, and spiritual poverty. None of us are immune to that. Deep awareness of our deficiencies, brokenness, and our own poverty should overwhelm us with our desperate need for a savior. Once we realize that, we are better equipped to care for the needs of those around us.  

David continues in verses 5-9 to confess his fears and vulnerabilities to God. By listing rejection, ridicule, gossip, and betrayal, David effectively surrenders himself, his relationships, and situations to God as we are commanded to in Philippians 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:7. Upon realizing our own poverty and deficiency we should also confess our sins, fears, and situations to God and praise God for who He is!

Our culture glorifies individualism and self-determination. From a young age we are conditioned to believe the idea that our successes are the result of our hard work, failures are the result of our laziness, and that we can do everything on our own. But Scripture tells us that we should strive towards full dependence on God rather than ourselves. That realization points us toward our Savior and can transform our lives from self-supported poverty to God-provided blessing.  

We know with our heads that God is able to redeem the messy things in us, but we also know the battle in our hearts to really live out that belief. We want to fix ourselves, to heal our own brokenness, to get ourselves out of the messes we find ourselves in. Wouldn’t it be so much faster that way? And wouldn’t that give us the satisfaction of knowing we are strong, independent, and capable all on our own?

Psalm 40 shows a much different approach. All throughout this chapter, David remembers his weakness and inability to save himself. While David is feeling overtaken by his sinfulness (v. 12), his response is to wait patiently for the Lord to save him. If you look at the actions of David compared to the actions of God described in this chapter, you will notice an important difference. God has lifted David from the pit, set his feet on firm ground, and protected and delivered him. David acknowledges his need, sees the work of God, then speaks of God’s faithfulness. God does the work and David responds with praise.

The healing of our hearts and our own sinfulness happens when we remember that we cannot do anything by our own power. We cannot heal or fix ourselves. We cannot earn our own forgiveness or salvation. On our own, we are powerless to overcome sin and brokenness. Those who long for God and for His saving help are the ones who will see His greatness (v. 16) because those are the people that are best positioned to see God move.

David knows this because he knows God’s heart – that we would acknowledge our complete dependence on God and that He would be glorified through our praise and faithfulness. He does not want our sacrifices. He wants our hearts and our praise. Isn’t that exactly what is at the heart of the gospel? While we were stuck in the mud and mire, God became flesh, took on our sin, died, and rose again to save and redeem us. When we acknowledge that we cannot do anything apart from God, only God can receive the glory. Then His name will be made great and His people will respond in praise. What a good God that His glory is also our greatest good.

We do not always know how to handle our messy lives. Similar to yesterday’s psalm, David is grieved by his life circumstances. He was sick. He dwelled in his discomfort. He internalized his doubts. His silence led to grief. A fire of discontentment and anxiety burned within him. The turmoil became too much to handle on his own, and he cried out to God.

David was impatient for the end of his life. Learning about this man’s deep mental struggle humanizes our reading of this psalm. We can all relate to wanting a less taxing and easier life. David did not live a perfect life, but he was still used by God. He realized that life’s ills and woes are fleeting as we have the hope of heaven. Our lives are as quick as a breath compared to our eternity with God. 

Our path through this life is not always rainbows and butterflies. David needed refining, and so do we. In verse 11, we read, “When you [the Lord] discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!” Sometimes the Lord will destroy what we delight in, like a moth destroying fine clothing, because that is what we need in order to seek Him. It’s not that God is mean; it is quite the contrary. He is loving. He would rather destroy our idols while we have a chance of communing with Him than let us suffer eternity in excruciating discomfort. 

David chose to keep fighting his battles because God allowed him to live for a reason. The obstacles David faced paled in comparison to the greatness of the Lord and heaven. Praying for deliverance through teary eyes is worth it, because we are only guests here on the earth for a short time.

Today we read another lament of David in Psalm 38. This was a lament written as a memorial for God to remember His people (Israel) and for Him to act on their behalf. It is also a penitential psalm where David lays his sin before God, realizing that the trouble he is in is a result of his sin. While it is not always the case that trouble and suffering are a direct result of sin (see the book of Job), that is the case in this psalm. 

We have all made decisions that we later regretted, whether it is waking up with the weight of regret from how we spent the previous night to seeing flashing lights approaching from out of the darkness. Sooner or later our sin will be found out and that is exactly what David is experiencing here in this psalm. In verse four he expresses that “My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear,” but Jesus promises to give rest to the weary and burdened– His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). When we come to Jesus there is rest for our souls. We have a salvation rest, knowing our eternity is secure (Ephesians 4:30). We also have a spiritual rest when we confess our sin (1 John 1:9). 

Therefore we can confess with confidence, as David does, that God alone is our hope and Savior. That is an astounding mark of Christianity, that even when everything is crumbling around us, we can say with great confidence that God alone is our hope. He has a perfect resume. Even when it does not feel like God is at work or near, we can bring our frustrations to Him. 

We know that God will not turn away a truly repentant person, and that He honors honest prayers. What an encouragement that reading through the Psalms continues to show us! The Psalmist brings forth everything going on in their life, the good and the bad. We do not need these polished, stained glass, robotic prayers. We can take heart in knowing that God sees and He knows.