When the Bubble Bursts
Devotions for Growing Christians
When the Bubble Bursts
Psalm 42:5, 11; Psalm 43:5 - 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.
What do we do when the bubble bursts? When a job we held for years disappears, and a new job is hard to find? When a teenaged child turns his or her back on our parental guidance? When a family member or close friend passes away suddenly? When a leader in our fellowship turns out to have feet of clay? When a longed-for pregnancy doesn’t happen? When a ministry we had put our hearts into fizzles and fades out? There are many reasons why believers today face the grief of disappointment, discouragement and disillusionment.
The Bible doesn’t teach that believers will never face disappointment. In fact, the Bible is filled with examples of believers who experienced disappointment - the disappointments of opposition, need, rejection, loss, and loneliness. When it happens ((not if it happens), the Bible discusses the problem of disappointment. Although the Bible does not guarantee freedom from discouragement and disappointment for the believer, it does guarantee a cure for every possible form of disappointment.
The author of Psalms 42 and 43 experienced extreme disappointment, but it never resulted in despair because he turned to the Cure - the Lord Himself. We, too, can endure discouragement when we stop trying to cope in our own strength, and turn the situation over to the Lord. Let’s examine this truth in Psalms 42 and 43.
Background Notes
Psalms 42 and 43 naturally go together - in fact, some ancient Hebrew manuscripts combine these psalms. The psalmist, who was apparently in exile, longed to be back in Jerusalem where he could worship the Lord at His holy Temple, free from enemy opposition. There are three stanzas of four verses each (42:1-4, 42:6-10,43:1-4), with the same refrain repeated at the end of each stanza: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
The title, “A Maskil of the Sons of Korah,” tells us that it is a song of wisdom and insight - wisdom resulting from enduring suffering and loss, and insight in learning to trust the Lord completely. A descendant of Korah likely wrote these psalms. Leading “the procession to the house of God” (42:4), and to “approach the altar of God” (43:4), are activities of a priest or a Levite, not an ordinary Jewish person.
In Israel’s history, Korah was a Levite who led a great rebellion against Moses (Number 16). Although Korah and his followers were punished in a spectacular way, the sons of Korah apparently did not join in their father’s rebellion and did not die (Numbers 26:11). Descendants in the line of the sons of Korah were appointed by David to the ministry of music, to praise the Lord at the Temple (1 Chronicles 6:31ff). They served faithfully in leading praise to the Lord. Many years later, during the reign of good King Jehoshaphat of Judah, we read that“Jehoshaphat.... and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice” (2 Chronicles 20:18-19).
From Psalm 42:6 it seems that the writer was in exile or captivity somewhere in far northern Israel, perhaps near the source of the Jordan River at the foot of Mount Hermon. Perhaps he was captured by the Syrians when the Syrians controlled the north of Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Another possibility is that he was taken as a captive by the Assyrians in 701BC, at the time of Sennacherib’s invasion of Judah. God miraculously delivered Jerusalem at that time, but many Jewish captives were deported from other towns of Judah. In Assyrian reliefs found at Sennacherib’s palace at Nineveh, three musicians holding lyres or stringed instruments are seen among the captives. Perhaps these figures are “sons of Korah.” These reliefs are displayed at the British Museum today.
Doctrinal / Teaching Points
1. Believers who long for God when thirsty will not be disappointed
In the first stanza (42:1-5) we have a vivid picture of a believer who is spiritually thirsty. As deer pant for water during times of heat and drought, so committed believers who are passing through difficult and draining experiences often feel spiritually parched and dry, and long for their thirst to be quenched.
The psalmist was downcast and disturbed during this severe trial. He was oppressed by his enemies, and he felt abandoned and forgotten by God (42:9; 43:2). He probably wondered why God would permit this? “Why would a loving God allow this to happen to me, His faithful servant?” He despaired of ever returning to Jerusalem, and his captors increased his feelings of disillusionment with God by taunting him, “Where is your God?” (42:3,8; 4310). In his despondent state, he wept day and night.
Faithful believers today can identify with the psalmist’s feelings. We are not immune to the disasters and tragedies of life. Some of us have experienced similar feelings of disappointment and depression, when loss or serious illness has overwhelmed us. Grief and pain are with us day and night. Life appears to be hopeless. We long for our spiritual drought to be relieved.
But the refrain shows that the psalmist had not given up hope (v5)! He had not sunk into a state of complete despair and bitterness. His sole source of encouragement was his confidence that the Lord would indeed answer him in his time of need.
In the second stanza of Psalm 42 we gain insight into why the psalmist had hope, even though his situation had not changed (v6). He remembered the Lord! Remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness is like a long drink of spiritual water for the thirsty believer. When we are facing times of suffering and disappointment, we’re encouraged when we remember the Lord’s faithfulness in the past. Reading biblical accounts of God’s faithfulness can bring comfort and hope to our thirsty souls.
Contrast verse 8 with verse 3. In the first stanza the psalmist wept day and night, but in verse 8 he gives us further insight into the cure for disappointment. He had opened his heart to God’s love, and at night a song and a prayer were on his lips. Tears of despair were replaced with songs of praise!
As believers, we know that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39.) Even in our times of distress, His loving presence is there to encourage us. Remembering God’s goodness allows His love to flood our hearts. It helps to calm our troubled and fearful souls, and it brings hope for the future. Knowing that God loves us and is with us, and remembering His goodness with a thankful heart and a song of praise will go a long way to quenching our spiritual thirst. Believers who long for God when thirsty will not be disappointed
2. Believers who lean on God when oppressed will not be disappointed
The “ungodly nation” and the “deceitful and wicked men” (43:1) are clearly the captors who had taken the psalmist prisoner, and were taunting him in his captivity. Notice that he was not eager to get personal revenge on them - he only desired vindication and deliverance from enemy oppression. This is an important point to remember when other people are causing us to suffer in a trying situation. Revenge is not the answer. Read Romans 12:17-19.
Sometimes God allows all the earthly things we lean on for security to be removed so we will learn to lean on HIm. Many of the psalmists’s statements remind us of Job’s great loss and suffering. Job couldn’t understand why God had permitted so many disasters to overtake him. His spirit was overwhelmed and downcast.
Job needed to learn that God is the One who is in control of all things. Job needed to learn that he could trust God completely, in both good times and in times of incredible loss and oppression. He needed to learn to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). At the end of the book, Job said “I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:1). When Job tested completely in God alone, he was not disappointed!
Suffering and disappointment can cause us to despair and become bitter, or they can become opportunities for us to grow and mature. James 1 tells us that God uses all kinds of trials and difficulties to bring our faith to maturity. “Consider it pure joy... when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything” (James 1:2-4). Perseverance means to hang in there, in spite of loss, discouragement, opposition, or any kind of oppression.
But where can distressed believers find the strength to persevere? By leaning on God! When we are at our weakest, His strength will provide support and keep us going.
“Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me” (43:3). Here the psalmist was asking the Lord for guidance and strength for the path of life ahead. In times of uncertainty about the future, we can rely on the Lord to supply His light for guidance. His truth will enable us to move forward along the right path.
As we can see from the refrain in Psalm 43, the psalmist was learning to lean on God. He had come to the realization that he could do nothing to bring about his release and return to his homeland, and that God alone was his hope for deliverance. God alone would be his Savior. He found courage and confidence for the future in the belief that God would indeed come through for him. “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” Believers who lean on God when oppressed will not be disappointed.
Practical Application:
It’s OK to ask “Why?”
In Psalms 42 and 43 the psalmist asked “Why?” ten times! Was it wrong for the psalmist to ask why, or to question God? Was this an indication that his faith was weak, or that he was giving up the faith? No!
It’s OK to ask why - if we ask with the right attitude! If we approach God with an attitude such as, “God, You’re really messing up my life” or, “God, You don’t know what You’re doing!” then we can expect God’s discipline. Job actually requested an umpire to decide who was right - Job or God! (See Job 9:33.) Job had to experience God’s discipline to correct his attitude.
However, if we come to God humbly and respectfully, as trusting children of our heavenly Father, and ask for insight and understanding into what’s happening in our lives, and to ask for His strength to persevere - then it’s not wrong to ask “Why?”
With the right attitude, it’s OK to ask “Why?”
- Dave Reid