Hope in God

Morning Meditations 6/6/17

Psalm 43:5: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”

I read in the Psalms daily. I was meditating on what the Lord would have me meditate on this morning. When I came to this verse, I said this is it. I have thought much about the truth declared here.

David had the same problem that I have. He talked to himself! He asked himself the question, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? This has been an experience of mine for years. Sometimes I find myself cast down and do not know why? Why yesterday I was “riding on the crest of the wave!” as Ian Thomas would put it. How did I fall off that wave? Uncle Buddy Robinson had this problem. He was saved at an old fashioned Methodist Camp Meeting. It would take too much room to describe the overflowing joy he experienced for the next several weeks. He said then one night he went to bed and slept off his religion! That is the way he put it. He got up and all the joy was gone. It took him a few weeks to get it back.

Have you ever had that problem? I have. David had that problem.. The words “cast down” (shachach) is the translation of a Hebrew word meaning “to bow, crouch, bow down, be bowed down.” He was no longer on the “mountain top” as we would put it. He asked the question, “Why.” He also uses the word “disquieted” (hamah) “to murmur, growl, roar, cry aloud, mourn, rage, sound, make noise, tumult, be clamorous, be disquieted, be loud, be moved, be troubled, be in an uproar.” Does this describe David? He says it does. I have to confess that it also describes my condition many times.

I was having that problem this morning in fact. I hate to confess that. It makes me look terrible and that is not the picture I want you to have of me. But the Lord laid it on my heart to deal with things as they really are in my life during these times of meditation. It is always when I deal with things as they really are, that God seems to help others.

Notice David said this is going on “within me.” This is where the Kingdom of God is. Jesus said in Luke 17:21 “Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.” So, what is happening “within me” is important. My inner attitude will affect all there is about me.

Lets notice what David was thinking about. He says in verse one: “O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.” Then in verse two he blames God for his condition: “why dost thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Here he says that his inner condition is based on good circumstances. The deceitful man is responsible. My mourning because of the oppression of the enemy is Your fault because I have prayed and you have not changed the circumstances.

David was not right about this. Our inward joy is not dependent on the changed circumstances. Else how could the martyrs suffer death and sing the praises of Jesus while it was going on? How could Richard Wurmbrand dance for joy in a solitary confinement cell while being punished for his faith in Christ? How could Stephen die while praying for his enemies with the glory of God all over him?

May I suggest in closing this meditation that there are many distractions and Satan uses everyone of them to get our eyes on the problem instead of the Problem Solver. Much of the time my problem is self. But Jesus is the answer to the self problem. When I start trying to fix self, it only gets worse. When I bring self to the cross and get my wrong thoughts under the blood, the joy of the Lord returns. I am back on the “crest of the wave.” And what I thought was a problem was not the problem at all. My walk with Him is within. It is only when I allow outward things to disturb that peace that I lose it.

David closes this verse: “hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” Our hope is in the Lord not changed circumstances. He is the health of our countenance. When it gets damaged, He will restore it.

May God bless these words to your heart and they have been to mine.

In Christ

Earl White.