Whether we are being disciplined, persecuted, or both, there are times when most of us feel as if God is far off from us. But our faith reminds us that our Lord is never far off, He will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5). He loves us constantly and consistently. If we removed from Him, it is we who moved away. What do we do in those faith-testing circumstances when we feel as if even our prayers are not reaching God’s ears? James 4:4-10 says,
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
Do we desire the world or the Lord? Do we pursue the Kingdom of God the way we pursue romance, money, and power?
Korah was swallowed up by the earth for his arrogance and discontent with his priestly duties which he considered less than the other priests. (Numbers 16). The sons of Korah were his descendants, the priests who were the keepers of the tabernacle. The prophet Samuel was one of those descendants. This Psalm is authored by one such priest and he was desperate for God, eager to now Him deeply, even through the trouble that made him feel so detached. The author of this psalm longed for God. He said it this way in verses 1-2 of the psalm titled “Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?”
“As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?”
Animals and men need water. It is not a luxury (or shouldn’t be) it is necessary to life. We know that like water is necessary for physical life, Jesus is necessary for our Spiritual life. He is the living water and when we drink from Him we will never thirst again. In John chapter 4, Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in verses 13-14 say,
“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Later in John 7:37-39 Jesus spoke again about himself as the source of eternal life and The Holy Spirit as the source of Living Water.
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
You see, we know God is with us, for us, and in us. We know we are in Him. He is not far off. He not only gives Himself to us as He gives us eternal life, but He makes us like Him so that He flows out from us. Oh, He is with us. We have not and cannot lose Him. But sometimes we do feel a bit estranged from Him. It is through these times when our faith is tested that we overcome by getting know God on a more intimate level. We pursue Him harder. We delve into Him more. We dive into The Living Waters. It is one of the reasons we sometimes suffer. The Lord knows we occasionally need to remember our critical need for Him. The author of this poem described his wretched state and remembered the past joys when he praised and worshipped God. Verses 3-6 read,
“My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.”
We are not alone when we suffer. God is with us. And we are not the only people in the world who have suffered, felt alone, or felt despondent. If the Lord’s priests could feel so low, anyone can. If Jesus could despair so that he sweat drops of blood, then we know we can feel hopeless. But our faith reminds us we have hope. The Spirit within us comforts us, not by saying, “Hush sweet baby” but by reminding us who He is, by teaching us and growing us. He is a soothing balm and a healing reassurance to us in His guidance and Word. Verse 7 says,
“Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.”
The author felt completely overcome by his trouble, he felt as if he were drowning in the tumult of grief. But though his emotions told him one thing, His faith told him something else. Verses 8-9 read,
“By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock:
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
We can look to the Lord and depend on Him. We can remember who He is, our Salvation, our Rock and our Strong Tower. Or we can look to the world for answers. But the world wants us to give up on God. They call Him a crutch and they call us fools. Verses 10-11 say,
“As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.”
Brother, you are not alone. Sister you are not hopeless. God is with you. Seek Him the way a man wandering in the desert seeks a spring of water. Pursue Him with the longing of a baby for his mother’s milk. Remember who God is and who you are in Him.