Muzzle Eeyore - Psalm 42-43 Part 4 Series

Psalm 42 For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 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 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?” 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 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 (the salvation of my face) and my God.

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from deceitful and wicked men. 2 You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? 3 Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. 4 Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. 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.

Introduction

Your Voice

Think of how many different voices are constantly trying to get your attention – especially this time of year. Advertisers come at you from every direction, talk show hosts, newscasts, fundraisers, preachers, teachers, friends, family, God…. Some of those voices you listen to more than others – most of them you filter out. But there is one voice that always, always gets through. When that voice speaks, you listen to it and take to heart what it says every time, without exception. That voice is yours. Paul Tripp: “No one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. You're in an unending conversation with yourself. You're talking to yourself all the time, interpreting, organizing, and analyzing what's going on inside you and around you.” That’s true, isn’t it? You may be talking to yourself about why you feel so tired today. Or you might be reliving a conversation that didn't go too well. Maybe you’re weighing the pros and cons of the decision, or trying to make sense out of something that happened. There is a constant internal conversation with yourself, and that conversation is shaping who you are. So ask yourself: How is that conversation going? Tripp goes on: “What do you regularly tell yourself about yourself, God, and your circumstances? Do your words to you inspire faith, hope, and courage? Or do they stimulate doubt, discouragement, and fear? … How wholesome, faith-driven, and Christ-centered is the conversation that you have with you every day?” One of the things we learn in Psalms 42-43 is how to improve that inner conversation – especially in times of discouragement or depression.

Before the holidays we were studying this prayer that spans these two psalms, but we didn’t quite finish before Christmas, so we have one more message today. You will remember our working outline is summed up in three points PEP. The first P is pray for help. The E is enjoy God’s presence. Today we finally come to the final point – Preach to your soul.

This psalm has a chorus that appears three times - word for word the same all three times.

42:5 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 6 my God.