For the psalmist, longing for God is like a thirsty person longing for water (v. 2). We hear an echo of Psalm 23:2...”He leads me beside the still waters.”
The psalmist talks to God (v. 1...”my soul longs for you, O God”). The psalmist talks to self (v. 5...”Why are you cast down, O my soul...?) In a sense, no matter whether the psalmist is talking to God or talking to self, the message is the same: “Things are tough and I need God.”
Twice, the psalmist affirms that the time will come when there will again be praise of the God who helps (v. 5, 8). Even though there is heavy despair, there is the thread of hope.
Is the psalmist giving me permission to get peeved with God? It strikes me that the poet is showing that our relationship with and our attitude toward God should be authentic. God is not going to be fooled if I sound like “happy glow” when I am actually miserable. The psalmist is truthful in saying that although the day will come when “I shall again praise him,” that day is not right now.
Many students of the Bible say that this psalm is actually continued in Psalm 43. That psalm carries the same dual reality as Psalm 42: My enemies are about to eat me alive and I feel neglected by You...but the day will come when I shall again praise You for all Your help.
We know what it is like to have mixed feelings. When my friend Ken died, his widow said, “I hate that he is gone, but I’m glad that he does not have to suffer any more.” It is that kind of truthful sharing that the psalmist does. He feels deserted by God (v. 9); he remembers a time it was not like that (v. 4); and he points to a time when again there will be realized hope (vv. 5, 11).
The psalmist teaches us “Don’t pretend.” If we don’t understand what is going on, say so to God. If it seems that others think God is no longer with us, say so to God. And, let the hope linger that in God’s own time we shall praise God for God’s help.
What Someone Else Has Said: In the fifth century, Augustine wrote: “God has everything that will refresh you. He is able to fill anyone who comes to him...This is what I am thirsting for, to reach him and to appear before him. I am thirsty on my pilgrimage, parched in my running, but I will be totally satisfied when I arrive.” [“Expositions on the Psalms, “Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Old Testament, Volume VII, Psalms 1-50 (Intervarsity Press)]
Prayer: As you prepare this lesson, let your prayer begin: “Just as I am, I pray...”
