Open the Bible

Colin Smith: Perhaps you've said, "I'm really just going through a very dry time right now." And what you would mean by that is that your energy is low. It's not what it usually is. Everything seems flat to you. You don't get excited about things in the way that you used to do. You don't laugh like you used to do.

Steve Hiller: Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m Steve Hiller, glad you’ve joined us today. And Colin, I’m going to guess that if we asked for a show of hands, how many people can relate to those feelings, those experiences, just about every hand would go up.

Colin Smith: That’s exactly right. And one of the wonderful things about the Bible is that it speaks to every aspect of life. And we’re going to look at one of my favorite psalms today, Psalm 42, where you have this question: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me?" Then the answer: "Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God."

We’re really looking at how you find hope when you feel that your energy's gone, that everything's flat, that you’re really discouraged. Psalm 42 is like medicine for the soul. And I hope and pray that God will renew hope in our hearts as we open the Bible together today.

Steve Hiller: Well, you’ve already heard where we’re going to be in God’s word today. So join us in Psalm 42 as we begin this message called "Hope in God." Here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: In one of the best-known and best-loved chapters of the whole Bible, the Apostle Paul tells us that there are three things that will remain: faith, hope, and love. Our knowledge is going to pass away, our gifts are going to pass away, the mark that each of us makes on the world will one day pass away, but faith, hope, and love remain forever.

And if you have your Bible open at Psalm 42, you'll notice there that there is a heading, and it says to the choirmaster, "A Maskil of the sons of Korah." The sons of Korah were Levites who led worship. And it could be that this psalm was written by them, or it could be that this psalm was written by King David for them, and I'm going to assume as we come to this psalm today, the latter.

Now I want to draw your attention especially to verse 5, where we have the theme of hope. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God. Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Now if you look down in your Bible then to verse 11 of Psalm 42, you will find that he says exactly the same thing again. "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."

Now it's generally reckoned that Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 were actually originally one psalm, that they belong together. And if you look at Psalm 43 and verse 5, the last verse of that psalm, you will see that he says the same thing yet again, a third time. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."

Now it's clear then that hope is the central theme of this psalm, and that is our focus as we begin this series today. Now no one needs hope when life is going swimmingly well. When you're healthy, when you're happy, when you're at home in the world, all you want to do is, well, you know the phrase, live in the moment, savor what you're able to enjoy. But you'll notice from this psalm that David, when he wrote it, was in a very different place.

Perhaps the best way to describe his experience here is that he was dried out. Look at what he says in verse 1. "As a deer pants for flowing streams." Like a man desperate for water, you know what this is like. You go through a dry season. Perhaps you've said, "I'm really just going through a very dry time right now." And what you would mean by that is that your energy is low. It's not what it usually is. Everything seems flat to you. You don't get excited about things in the way that you used to do. You don't laugh like you used to do.

Dry times come. And for a Christian, when dry times come, our first instinct is to say, "Well, I'm really feeling dry, so I need to seek after God more." And so you turn to the Bible. And what you find is that your reading of the Bible seems to be flat. Nothing seems to be jumping out at you. You're making a greater effort to seek after God, and you just don't feel that you're making much progress.

That's what it feels like to be dry. And that's precisely where David is here. "As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." See, he loves God. He's seeking God. He wants more of God. He wants to feel close to God. The problem is that God seems to be so very, very far away. He seeks God, but he cannot find him. And so he says, verse 2, "When can I come and appear before God?"

Now there are at least seven descriptions in this psalm of what David was experiencing. I'm going to call them symptoms. This was his experience. First, as we've seen, he felt dry. "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

Not only is he dry, but he feels tearful. Verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night." My tears have been my food. Now I take that to mean that he had lost his appetite. He wasn't eating very much, probably not eating anything at all, but he was weeping. That's how it was.

And then notice thirdly, he was downcast. You have that in verse 5 and verse 11: "Why are you cast down, O my soul?" And then fourthly, in the same verses, he's in turmoil. "Why are you in turmoil within me?" What a word that is, turmoil. His stomach's churning. He feels overwhelmed. Verse 7, he says, "It's like one wave after another just breaking over me. I just feel completely overwhelmed, my stomach churns at the very thought of what lies ahead of me."

Fifthly, in verse 9, he feels forgotten. "I say to God my rock, 'Why have you forgotten me?'" And then sixthly, he's mourning. "Why do I go mourning?" And the use of the word mourning clearly indicates that he was experiencing some kind of loss. And that indeed was part of what was going on in his life at this time. And then seventhly, he was oppressed. He speaks about the oppression of the enemy.

Now you put these seven together, and here you have a picture of a man who is in real trouble. He's dry, he's tearful, he's downcast, he's in turmoil, he feels forgotten, he's mourning, and he is oppressed. And these are the words of a man who truly loved and served the Lord.

Now you see, this raises a very important question. Can it really be true that a faithful believer can experience all of these things? And the answer to that question from the Scripture very clearly is yes. Even the strongest believers may endure what David describes here. Dr. Jim Packer in his marvelous book Knowing God warns about the dangers of playing down the challenges of the Christian life. The danger of giving the impression that, and I quote, "for Christians, problems should no longer exist, or if they come, they have only to be taken to the throne of grace and then immediately they're going to melt away."

Well, perhaps someone has spoken to you in a way that gives you that impression. "Oh, just take it to the Lord in prayer. If you pray about it, then it will all be fine." And what you've found is that you have prayed about it and you are still struggling. That's exactly where David was right here.

Now these are the symptoms. Why? What was the cause? What gave rise to these things that David was experiencing?

Steve Hiller: We do have to pause the message right here, but we’ll get back to this teaching from Pastor Colin in just a moment. Our message is called "Hope in God." It’s part of a larger series entitled "Grow in Hope." And today we’re digging into Psalm 42. If you joined us late, if you have to leave early, or if you ever miss a program and you want to go back and listen to that later, you can do that at our website, just come to openthebible.org.

Another way to listen is through the Open the Bible app. You’ll find that for free at your App Store, and it’s listening on demand whenever it fits your schedule. But whether you listen on the radio, online, or on the app, it’s all made possible because of your generosity. So thank you for giving to and supporting this ministry. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Pastor Colin’s brand-new 30-day devotional. It’s based on this series, it’s called "Grow in Hope." And it is for every Christian. This book is going to show you how hope comes from God, it’s found in Christ, and it’s yours through grace. It examines the promises of God that bring both hope now and in the future. And this book, "Grow in Hope," is our thank you for your financial support this month. You can find out more or give online at openthebible.org or call 1-877-OPEN-365. Again, the website is openthebible.org and our phone number is 1-877-673-6365.

Well, let’s get back to the message. Again, here is Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now the psalm makes it pretty clear that first he was in a very hostile environment. Look at verse 3 and then at verse 10. Verse 3: "My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, 'Where is your God?'" And then it's almost repeated in verse 10: "My adversaries taunt me while they say to me all the day long, 'Where is your God?'"

There were some people who had it in for David. He describes them as adversaries, enemies, and they taunted him. "Where is your God?" And notice that he lives with the taunts of these adversaries all the day long. It's like it never stops. They never relent. And over time, David's experience is that it just wears him down.

Now maybe you have experienced this in your own life, the erosive effects of a hostile culture over time. The opposition you face in one way or another perhaps has become quite relentless. You're just bombarded by hostility and opposition. Everything that you put forward, push back, push back, push back. And over time it takes its toll and eventually your soul begins to feel dried out, downcast, and you have the stomach churning and you are in turmoil. That's exactly what David is describing here.

And Jesus has been there. Consider the hostility he endured from sinful men. He endured taunting. "He saved others, he cannot save himself. He trusted in God, let God deliver him if he wants him." David endured over time the erosive effect of a hostile culture.

And on top of that, he had experienced very great loss. Look at verse 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." Now he's describing what he used to do. But the point here is that he's not doing it now. The great festivals he's referring to, the crowds of people rejoicing and praising God, they all took place in Jerusalem. And notice that David is not in Jerusalem when he writes this psalm. In verse 6, he says, "I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon," miles from Jerusalem.

Now why he was there, we don't know. But what's clear is that he is no longer in the place where he's able to do what he loved doing. He has lost a cherished role and joys that used to be his are simply his no longer. Now it's not easy when you no longer get to do what has been perhaps for a long time a joy and a blessing in your own life. I mean, I'm thinking, for example, of mothers who may say, "This is the last summer before my son or my daughter goes off to college. And my whole life has circled around raising these children. What in the world am I now going to do?" We live in a changing world and we need the help of the unchanging God.

And you know, Jesus has been there too. For three years he enjoyed all the blessings of the most marvelous ministry. "My food," he said, "is to do the will of him who sent me." In other words, Jesus found the very engagement in ministry that he was given to be nourishing to his own soul. It was a joy, it was a blessing, it was a delight, and then it's all taken away. The disciples abandon him, he's surrounded by darkness, he goes into the Garden of Gethsemane and he says, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow."

But the biggest problem on top of all that was the felt distance of God. Notice what David says at the beginning of the psalm. "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" See, David could face a hostile environment, difficult though that was. David could endure even the loss of a cherished role that he had loved. He could do these things if he felt that God was near. But you see, the problem here is that God felt far away from David just at the very moment where David felt he needed the Lord the most.

There was a priest in the 16th century known as John of the Cross. And he coined a phrase that describes what David was enduring here. He called it the "dark night of the soul." Isaiah knew what this was like. He says in Isaiah 45 and verse 15 to the Lord, "Truly, you are a God who hides himself." You know that experience of feeling that you're just seeking God, you need his help, and you feel like he's hiding from you?

Now can this really be the experience of a godly person? Well, remember this was the experience of our Lord Jesus himself. Jesus knew what it was to feel that the Father was far away just when he needed him the most. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Now this psalm really helps us. It helps us not only by describing the darker experiences that may come to a Christian in the course of life, some of the harder things that we may endure in following after Christ, but it also identifies not only the experience, but the cause that may lie behind these experiences. The erosive effects of a hostile culture, the loss of a cherished role in life and in ministry, the feeling that God is far away at the very time when you feel you need him the most.

These were the experiences of David, these were the experiences of Jesus, and there may be times when they are your experience too. But what I want us to see today is that despite all that David was enduring, he was moved by the Holy Spirit to write a psalm that focuses on hope. That's what this psalm is about. At the very center of it, repeated three times as we have seen, "Hope in God," verse 5; "Hope in God," verse 11; "Hope in God," Psalm 43 and verse 5.

Now the aim of this series over these next weeks is that we would grow in hope. I want to be very practical, and so I want us to see four strategies from this psalm as to how we can grow in hope. The first of these is to speak honestly to God. Now you see how that's what David does here. Look at verse 9. "I say to God, my rock, 'Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?'" Now notice that he says these things to God.

You don't need to feel close to God in order to pray. You can pray, as David does here, even when you feel that God has forgotten you. You can pray to God when you feel far from him. You can pray to God when you don't feel like praying. You can tell him that you feel forgotten. You can tell him that you feel oppressed. You can tell him that you feel absolutely, completely, and utterly dried out. You can tell him that your stomach is churning and that you are in turmoil. That's what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow," and he said it to the Father.

Steve Hiller: What a helpful truth for us to reflect on as we wrap up our time together. You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, the message called "Hope in God." It’s the first message in our series called "Grow in Hope." And we’re going to continue our look at Psalm 42 on the next program, so hope you’ll make it a point to join us.

If you ever miss a program on the radio, you can listen online. Come to openthebible.org. You can stream the program there. You can also download the program for free to listen to later. Or if you have the Open the Bible app, you can listen on demand at any time. The app is free, just look for Open the Bible at your App Store. But whether you listen to Open the Bible on the radio, online, or on the app, it’s all made possible because of your generosity. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to say thank you by sending you a copy of Pastor Colin’s brand-new 30-day devotional book. It’s based on this series called "Grow in Hope." And Colin, what is something that you’d like people to take away from this book?

Colin Smith: Well, it would be very practical because every Christian knows what it is to go through dark times when we feel discouraged, we’re down, we don’t know how to move forward. And when these times come in your life, you need to know how to handle your own soul, how to encourage and strengthen yourself. David, of course, speaks about this. He knew what this was like. In Psalm 42, he speaks to himself. He says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you in turmoil within me?" And then he says, "Hope in God."

So I hope what people will take away from this is that they’ll be helped and encouraged in being able to speak to their own soul in the way that David did in Psalm 42 and to find hope in God because there is hope in God for every circumstance of life, and it comes to us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Steve Hiller: Well, we’d love to send you a copy of this brand-new 30-day devotional from Pastor Colin called "Grow in Hope." It’s our thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1-877-OPEN-365. Again, that’s openthebible.org or call 1-877-673-6365. For Pastor Colin Smith, I’m Steve Hiller, thanks for listening and I hope you’ll join us next time.

This program is a listener-supported production of Open the Bible.

Everyone has questions about heaven, but the question that matters most is how do you get there? Many people have the idea that if a person was to get into heaven, they’d get there by living a good enough life. Well, the thief on the cross hadn’t lived a good enough life and he wasn’t in a position to start living a good life, but Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with me in paradise." Well, if the thief could get into heaven, so can you.

Heaven, How I Got Here is a compelling 60-minute film in which Stephen Baldwin portrays the thief on the cross in a one-person play. Many have found that this story opens their eyes to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the hope of heaven. You can watch the Heaven, How I Got Here film for free on the Open the Bible website. For more information, visit openthebible.org/heaven. That’s openthebible.org/heaven.