The Rhythms of Life – Hope and Despair
“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.” - Psalm 42:4
That’s Psalm 42:4 and although those words were written millennia ago, they are perfect for today. For I still remember those days back in June, when we could all gather together with shouts of joy and praise, as the body of Christ, the festive throng. I remember those days, when the noise in the building would crescendo as the time for the gathering to start grew closer. When men and women, boys and girls gathered afterwards to share our lives, our stories, our joys and our sorrows.
And this week I have been longing for those days. The days when we did not just share our lives but we shared of Jesus and of his love for us and his work in our lives, of answered prayer and longings for his Kingdom to come. For we don’t just go to the house of Lord to see each other, we gather to listen to God, to sing with and pray for and encourage the throng. And for me, the disappointment of not being able to do this can be overwhelming some days and this week I have rejoiced to hear the voice of God in v.5 that really ministered to me:
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.” - Psalm 42:5
I love the whole of Psalm 42 and feel that God is speaking to me right now through it and I wanted to share three things with you all.
First, the grief we feel from the separation from each other and the intermittent feelings of separation from God are not unusual. The rhythms of life lead us through various emotions of hope and despair and all those emotions are given voice here in the Psalm. And I love that because when I feel all those emotions, this Psalm reminds me that I am not weird, rather, I am human. Life sometimes takes us on journeys we don’t expect, want or cherish and in those moments, God does not expect rigid stoicism from us. Nor does he desire that we float in the wind or become ruined. Rather these are moments when, with the Psalm, God calls us to remember that our feelings don’t always describe our realities. We feel all sorts of things, but feelings don’t create realities either. So when we feel all the feelings, we must look for solid truths and realities to ground us. If you are feeling separated from God, perhaps that is a moment to ask, where am I seeking true satisfaction? Who is my rock and security? In moments of grief and hopelessness, our hearts should be guided to the reality that we will only ever be fully satisfied and hope-filled in the living God.
Second, even though we can grasp onto this good theology at one moment and remember the presence of God and our hope in him, we may forget it in the next. We need reminders. So notice the repetition of v.5 in v.11 and then again in Psalm 43:5. The Psalmist just keeps reminding himself over and again to put his hope in God and to praise God. Why? Because he is human. We are fickle people who easily forget what is best for us and what is true. Our feelings towards God can often ride the rhythms of hope and despair in our lives, but they need not, for God is never distant, always worthy of praise and our constant Saviour, anchor, rock, stronghold. When a boat is well anchored it may jump about violently in a storm but it stays in place. When a Christian is well anchored in God you may jump about violently in life’s storms but he will never leave you nor forsake you. Can I encourage you to remind yourself of this often.
Third, while the Psalmist longs to “go” to the Lord (v.2), let us remember that in Christ he has come to us and he remains with us by his Spirit. When people say, “Where is your God?” (v.3,10) let us remember that he is in us and sovereignly over us at all times. As we have seen in John 1, God became flesh and dwelt among us such that we need not “go” to find him, for he has come to find us. This is why church online works - we are united by the Spirit of God as the body of Christ even when not in the same room. This is also why we can be satisfied in God - he ministers to us through his Spirit moment by moment and breath by breath in all the rhythms of life.
You can always come to Jesus who has come to you and spoken these words:
“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” - Matthew 11:28-29
I have found this rest this week and in this awful time, I pray you will too.
In Christ,
Nigel
