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Discover how to draw near to God when experiencing grief and find hope and joy in His presence. Explore Psalms 95:2 and 42:1-6, and learn to lament and cling to God in sorrow.
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How do you draw near to God when you are grieving? Psalm 95:2: Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
Psalm 42:1-6: 1 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? 3 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.
Psalm 42:1-6: 5Why 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.
The psalmist is lamenting the loss of God’s special presence Psalm 42:4: 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.
There are deeper layers to the psalmist’s lament 1. Things aren’t the way they are supposed to be, (there is a glitch in the system).
There are deeper layers to the psalmist’s lament Psalm 1 lays out the system. Psalm 1:1-4: 1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
There are deeper layers to the psalmist’s lament Psalm 1 lays out the system. Proverbs affirms this system. Proverbs 1:19: Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.
There are deeper layers to the psalmist’s lament But in Psalm 42, things are not the way they should be – there is a glitch in the system! The psalmist can’t enjoy God at the temple. He is oppressed by his enemies (Psalm 42:9). And, his enemies are relatively wicked (Psalm 43:1).
There are deeper layers to the psalmist’s lament 1. Things aren’t the way they are supposed to be, (there is a glitch in the system). 2. This glitch leaves the psalmist feeling abandoned by God. Psalm 42:9: “Why have you [God] forgotten me?” Psalm 43:2b: …why have you [God] rejected me?
The psalmist reminds us to draw near to God, honestly lamenting our grief The psalmist doesn’t fake joy, nor does he refrain from drawing near. Rather, he draws near, honestly voicing his grief. Psalm 42:2b-3: When shall I come and appear before God?My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
The psalmist reminds us to draw near to God, honestly lamenting our grief We can draw near in sorrow because some sorrow is holy. As Martin Luther put it, “In our sad condition, our only consolation is the expectancy of another life. Here below all is incomprehensible.”
The psalmist reminds us to draw near to God, honestly lamenting our grief We can draw near in sorrow because some sorrow is holy. We can draw near in sorrow because Jesus is a man of sorrows.
The Psalmist reminds us to cling to God for hope and joy Amidst sorrow the psalmist still hopes in God’s salvation. Psalm 42:11: 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.
The Psalmist reminds us to cling to God for hope and joy Through the gospel, we see hope more clearly than the psalmist.
The Psalmist reminds us to cling to God for hope and joy Through the gospel, we see hope more clearly than the psalmist. Revelation 21:3-4:3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
What if my sorrow is of my own making? What if I’m AM the glitch!
What if my sorrow is of my own making? Draw near with the grief of your sin to experience the joy of forgiveness! Psalm 51:9-12: “9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
What if my sorrow is of my own making? The forgiveness David longed and prayed for was ultimately provided through Christ. Hebrews 4:14-16: 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
