The Remedy for the Downcast and Disquieted Soul...Psalm 43

 

Vindicate me O God.  And plead my cause against an ungodly nation.  Deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.  For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off?  Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?--Psalm 43:1-2

To My Sweet Daughters in Him…

David is being accused unjustly, maligned and slandered and has been forced into exile.  He asks God here to be his divine judge as well as his defense attorney. Literally it says, Judge me O God, and argue my case. What a difference it makes when we commit ourselves to Him who judges righteously.  What a difference it makes when we know that the God of the Universe is on our side! What a difference it makes when we realize that He is our defender.

He is the God of our righteousness.  When we are attacked or maligned by evil men, it is not our righteousness at stake..It is God's.  His righteousness is imputed to us when we believe.  He will defend it.   The ungodly and unconverted cannot be expected to deal rightly with us.  They hate God and therefore will hate His people.   

God is our deliver always. We are no match for the ungodly, the deceitful and the unjust.  When you are being slandered or misrepresented...when your good is spoken of as evil...when the people of the world persecute you because you name the name of Christ--Know this...He is on your side.  The battle is His.  The Lord will fight for you and wants you to hold your peace.  He wants you to be still and know that He is God.  (literally hands off)  Don't get in His way.  Wait on Him  for strength and vindication.  Don't fret...trust Him.  The Bible says He delivers us because He delights in us!  He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.  

Now we may feel cast off for a time especially when we take our eyes off God and put them on people and circumstances.  God, however, does not cast off His people.  He who keeps you does not slumber, He will not allow your foot to be moved.  We may feel oppressed and overwhelmed by what we are facing.  It may seem that everyone and everything is against us.  It may even at times cause us to doubt and lose hope. Often we will not understand why the unjust and deceitful seem to prevail, but God is the author of the trials we face.  Go to Him...seek His wisdom...His explanation.  Wait on Him and allow Him to be your strength.   Know this also...God is working in your heart even in your darkest hour...especially in your darkest hour...for your good and His glory.  Cling to His word and His promises.  Psalm 42 verse 8 says this:

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life. 

He will command it.  His lovingkindness will be with you daily and His song at night.  Curl up and rest in Him...you may feel cast off but feelings are irrelevant.  God will never leave you or forsake you.  Psalm 94:14 says:

For the LORD will not cast off His people, Nor will He forsake His inheritance. 

I love these next few verses.   

"Oh, send out Your light and Your truth!  Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill.  And to your tabernacle.  Then I will go to the altar of God.  To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, oh God, my God." 

Where do I go when I feel this way...When the darkness begins to surround me...I go to the One in whom is no darkness at all.  I cry out for Him to lead me by His light and His truth.  I pray that His goodness and mercy also will follow me. Where do I want them to bring me?  First, to His holy hill...and then to the tabernacle...and then to the altar of God and finally to Him...to God Himself.  Nothing else will do...nothing will satisfy me but to be in His presence.

The last verse says it all...

Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.  

Why do we feel cast down???  Why are our souls disquieted within us??? Here is why?  We, like David, lose sight of God.  Seeing Him and feeling the light of His countenance reminds us of what we have in Him.  Whatever is happening now we can get through because He is with us.  We see the end of the ungodly that are slandering us and persecuting us and our heart is grieved for them! They walk the narrow edge of a precipice. When their end comes, it is without remedy and beyond hope.

We forget that even in the face of the darkness we must shine our light for Him.  We must not react like the world reacts when  attacked. The people around us should see Jesus in our times of trial not us!  Show them  the One who was wounded for our transgressions and was bruised for our iniquity. Show them the One upon whom is the chastisement for our peace.  Can we expect less than what He faced.  Are we greater than our master???  Jesus washed the feet of His betrayer.  He humbled Himself for those who were unworthy and unthankful...you and I...and died in our stead for our sins.  Talking about these truths in your Christian life is great, but facing them and actually walking as Jesus walked is where the blessing lies.  Truly, the sufferings we face in this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us...to the glory of an eternity in His presence.  Downcast...no way!  See all your suffering and sorrow and persecution as an opportunity from Him to shine His light and live for Him. 

 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake."