It's A Hard Knock Life Series

Text: Psalm 42-43

There is a movie that came out in the 80s called Annie. Has anyone seen this movie before or heard of it? Well if not the premise of this movie was following this little redhead girl named Annie who lived in an awful orphanage. I mean it was terrible. But one of the most famous songs from that movie is called Hard Knock Life. Have ever heard someone sing that song before? Or has someone ever said that phrase “Well its a hard knock life to you before? The premise of the song was about how life was absolutely awful for them and nothing was going to get better. I mean they say things like no one cares, not even Santa cares for orphans. At one point in the song they say don't you want to just throw the towel in because its easier than putting up a fight. I mean this song is bleak. There is no hope in the message of that song, because the kids in that movie felt no hope. They felt as if their situation was never going to change. They felt alienated and left alone. They felt like nothing in life was every going to go their way. They felt lonely and like an outcast. Life was handing them lemon after lemon and they were tired of trying to make lemonade. Their situation seemed hopeless and bleak.

Maybe we haven’t been in the same situation as Annie, but we all at some point in our lives have lost hope. Life is handing us lemons and were tired of trying to make lemonade. It doesn’t seem like our situation is going to get better, we feel alienated not only from others around us, but also from God, we feel bleak, we feel as if no one cares, and honestly we just want to throw the towel in because its easier than putting up a fight. That's the place we find ourselves at times in life. Because honestly life is more than just hard sometimes. It can be unbearable. But you know we aren’t the only ones who have felt like this before. Actually if you look at the Bible you can see that a lot of people had those feelings. Especially when it comes to the book of Psalms and Lamentations. But today we are going to be looking at the book of Psalms because one of the writers of Psalms was gong through what we go through today. Those feelings of alienation, being uncared for, being in despair, feelings of hopelessness, they felt like throwing in the towel. And they really just lay it all out there in this prayer to God. We find that in Psalm 42. Lets go and read the first three verses together because were going to kind of break this Psalm down.

The Psalmist here is obviously going through something. He through someway is being kept from worshipping God. Many believe as do I that the Psalmist here was exiled and then later captured and held captive. Either way the Psalmist is going through something hopeless. He feels alienated from God. He feels he is out of the presence of God. He feels hopeless and bleak. So much so that he is desiring God with his whole being. He says that like a deer pants for water my soul pants for you. Listen and deer will search for water high and low until it finds it when it thirsty. This Psalmist is thrusting for Gods presence so much so that its with His whole being. Verse two says my soul thirsts for you. It more than just his spiritual soul here. It meant his whole being. I mean have ever desired something so much it began to affect you physically. You just longed for something so much that you could feel it in your body? That's what the Psalmist is going through. This Psalmist is singing its a hard knock life. He wants so bad to be out of this situation. He wants so bad to be in the presence of God and it doesn’t seem like its going to happen. It seems like a hopeless situation. I mean he literally says here that his tears have been his food. Could you imagine crying so much that you are getting the water intake you need every day. And all the while He is being mocked by his captors. The people that have taken him are mocking him saying “where is your God?” And I think he is asking himself the same questions. “Where is my God?” The Psalmist feels alienated, feels out of God’s presence and as the people mock him it sounds as if he is without hope to ever be in God’s presence again. But in that moment of sorrow he began to remember things. Read verse 4. He remembered God’s triumphs, the celebrations, and the pilgrimages. They had several celebrations that would remind them of the amazing things God had done for his people and in this moment of despair and hopelessness the Psalmist is remembering all of those things. And in verse 5 we see some hope. Read verse 5. The Psalmist reminds himself that if he is going to get through this then he needs to place his hope in God. His faith was tested out of the isolation and loneliness he was feeling. You see faith and doubt are twins and when doubt seemed to triumph in the Psalmist life true faith calmed the questions. The questions of “where is your God, and Where is my God?” They were calmed by true faith. That feeling of hope in God leads the Psalmist away from that feeling of despair. That feeling of isolation and alienation from God’s presence. Because you see Hope is waiting for God to act . Hope is focused on the acts of salvation and victory that God has promised all of His followers. That what hope really is. Knowing that we may be in what seems like a hopeless situation but in the end God will act and bring us victory. Hope says that You are My God and I will wait for your promises even though help may seem far off.