Psalm 43

A God Dependent Desperation vv.1-2

v.1- The Psalmist life- His enemies are oppressing him. They are ungodly people, and they are threatening his life and making him miserable.

v.2- The Emotions- Ups and Downs of the Christian life.  This is not an uncommon condition of Christians.  A divided heart is not good, but all Christians experience it.  In Mark 9:24 the man tells Jesus, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Paul’s struggles with this in Romans 7:19, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”

James 4:8 “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Comfort in yourself brings complacency in your condition and carelessness to your commitment!

Confidence in the Redeemer brings change to your condition and charge to your commitment!

I want to be closer to God because I realize I desperately need Him!  He’s my only hope!

 

A Journey Determined for the Truth v.3

v.3 He ask God to lead him to God!  May that be our cry!

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

 

A Dedication to Knowing His Joy v.4

The altar is where the blood of the animal sacrifice was sprinkled to make atonement for the people and where God forgave the sins of his people; therefore, the light of God leads us to the truth of our sinfulness and takes us to the place of atonement and forgiveness.  I’m forgiven, that’s pure JOY!

Hebrews 13:10-12 makes this clear, “We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.  For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”

The writer of Hebrews is saying that because of Christ, we don’t go to the temple and sacrifice animals, Christ is that sacrifice.  In turn we sacrifice our lives to live for Him! 

 

A Devotion to Experiencing His Hope v.5

Ephesians 1:18-19 “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”