Wise Conclusions

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art though disquieted within me?  hope thou in God:  for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance and my God.

Psalm 42:11

As the psalmist draws his writing to an end, he summarizes where he is, upon what he can depend, and what his future expectations are.  As he has been honest throughout the psalm, so he admits that he is ‘cast down’ and does not really know why.  He is unaccountably depressed, and forthrightly says so.  Where can he turn?  He turns to the only true hope he has.  He says to his soul, ‘Hope in God.’  He has confidence in the unchanging God.  This bring us to Christ, Who is ‘the same, yesterday, today, and forever.’  We have found this to be so.  We struggle at times to understand and to give an account as to why we are where we are emotionally.  We are often vacillating, and internally unstable, even though we may put on a brave face.  In such times, in all times, Christ is our unfailing, unchanging God.  He is our Hope when we have no other hope.  He guarantees our future.  He is ‘the help of my countenance.’  He lifts my hanging head and enables me to ‘praise Him.’  If you are low today, look to Christ.  He is the unchanging God in a changing world.  He is able to raise your head to see the bright future which He has for you.  He is the help of your countenance, and your God.

Our Wonderful, Unchanging God,
we rejoice that,
‘when all around our soul gives way
You, then, are all our hope and stay.’
We praise You that You lift us up,
and enable us to see the glorious eternity,
which You have prepared for us.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Prayer In All Seasons

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Psalm 42:8

Prayer is for all seasons.  As we have considered our text over the last little while, we have dwelt upon the changing seasons of life.  The psalmist has openly and honestly declared that he is not in a good place.  He has looked to God, knowing that He is utterly faithful and will not abandon him.  As he speaks of the lovingkindness of the Lord, and expresses his faith that God would give him ‘songs’ in the night, his final consolation and his recourse is prayer.  This speaks to us wherever we are.  Prayer is our ever present recourse.  Christ is so interested in our prayer that He ‘ever lives to make intercession for us.’  It is for this reason that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write ‘pray without ceasing.’  During His life and ministry, Christ demonstrated what it is to ‘pray without ceasing.’  Throughout all the changing seasons of His life, Christ was constantly praying.  His high tower is ours as well.  Besides being our Savior, Christ is also our Great Example.  His behavior is the pattern for ours.  Whether things were going well or ill for Him, He prayed.  In daylight and in darkness, He prayed.  We take our cues from Christ.  In every season of life, good or bad, high or low, in sickness and in health, we can pray.  God bends His ear to the lisping of the little child and to the last utterance of the dying saint. Therefore, let us pray.

Our prayer-hearing and prayer-answering God,
we rejoice that You desire to hear our unceasing prayers.
We praise You that day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment,
we can appeal to You knowing that You will hear us.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Daytime And Night

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Psalm 42:8

Christ was tireless on His ministry to others.  As we continue to dwell upon the text before us, we come to consider the ‘daytime’ and the ‘night.’  The psalmist had confidence that his loyal, dependable God would ‘command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me.’  Whether he was walking in the sunlight of good times or the dark night of depression, the psalmist had confidence that God would meet him at his point of need.  We see that example in the life and ministry of Christ.  In John 1, Christ met the disciples in the early morning of their inquiry.  He met the young couple at Cana in John 2 when they were in the first blush of wedded bliss.  He met Nicodemus in the nighttime of his soul-searching in John 3.  In John 4, He met the woman at the well at midday, while her soul dwelt in darkness.  He met the man at the pool of Bethesda, in John 5, who had endured years of physical darkness because of his paralysis.  Wherever Christ encountered folk, in daylight or in darkness, He met them at their point of deepest need.  If He did that for them, we may have every reason to believe and hope that He will meet us at our point of need, in the daylight or in the dark times.

Our Kind and Loving Savior,
we rejoice that the daytime and the night are both alike to You.
We praise You that You continue to minister unto us,
regardless of where we find ourselves.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

Loyal and Dependable

Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

Psalm 42:8

We return to a text we contemplated several days ago.  For a few moments, let us dwell upon what this text tells us about the Character of God.  Our text declares, ‘Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.’  As we consider these words, they reveal to us that God is loyal and dependable.  The word lovingkindess describes for us the committed, unswerving, unfailing love which God has for His people.  He loves us deeply, faithfully, and without reservation or condition.  He manifests His love to us ‘in the daytime and in the night.’  No matter what else fails in our lives, we can always depend upon God.  We see the Character of God most clearly in the Person of Christ.  All throughout the Old Testament, we observe Christ appearing in pre-incarnate form to demonstrate the loyalty and dependability of God to His covenant people.  We see His lovingkindness to Abraham and to his descendants.  We see Him as He appeared to Joshua , to Elijah, to Daniel, and to the three in the furnace.  All of our New Testament observations of Christ and how He behaved lead us to the conclusion that He is loyal and dependable.  If we would understand the Character of God, we must see it as He reveals it in the words and works of Christ.  Here is the Character of the loyal and dependable God on display.

Our Never-Failing God,
we rejoice that when all around us gives way,
You are still the same.
We praise You that Christ our Savior,
will meet us at our point of need,
in every changing scene of life.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning