"The Thirsty Deer" (Part 9)

By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:8-11 NIV).

Today we come to the end of our look at this psalm. I’m struck with two things. First, sometimes the hardest part about waiting for God is the view of those who don’t trust God. Those people closest to us are often those least supportive of our decision to “wait on the Lord”. When tragedy struck Job, it was Job’s own wife who said, “Curse God and die!” I must be honest. I know I am in the center of God’s will for my life, but sometimes the voices of those who doubt resonate louder in my mind that the truth of God’s promises. The only solution I have is the one the Psalmist had. It’s the one we have looked at for the last nine days. I have to look not to the world, but to the promises of God in my life!

There is a second thought here as well. The Psalmist ends with a reflection of the truth. Why should he be discouraged about life when there is a God? He is not just a distant God. He is not an absentee God. He is a God who comes to save! Your life is not going to be perfect. Your life is going to take twists and turns that will many times make you feel that you are drowning in troubles. When situations of life are difficult, you need a faith that can overcome adversity. You need to be so grounded in the truth of Scripture, that when doubts come, your heart and mind naturally goes back to the reality of God as your Savior.

Someone recently asked me to summarize my ministry in a few words. The first thought that came to mind was “my calling is to help Christians live life.” My passion is to help people realize and apply the principles that will make them over-comers. It is to help people live by fact instead of feelings. Feelings are unpredictable. You may not always feel like God loves you, that He is in control, and that He is working all things for good. Feelings are fickle, dependent on the weather, our health, relationships, when we had our last meal, and all the other circumstances around us. God’s promises in Scripture are not dependent on any of these things! They stand the test of time and experience.

Put your trust in God! Stand strong in Him. Trust Him through every stage of life. Allow Him to direct you through the storms of life. He and He alone is secure forever! You’re thirsty already. Do something about it! Run to the Water! Risk it all to get there! When you drink of it, it will never leave you thirsty!