Spiritual Amnesia

3/29 – Put Hope in God …video in the woods

Welcome to our third week of video worship for Calvary Church.

There's a Psalm I want us to talk about

today for a brief time and it's Psalm 42.

It's a psalm which I believe many of us can relate to for the simple fact that a lot of times in our life we get forgetfulness ---we call it dementia--- or

some people have Alzheimer's ---some people

have amnesia and they forget for a time.

I think sometimes we have a spiritual

amnesia and that's what Psalm 42 is

talking about. A spiritual amnesia so we know

42 is a psalm that is written not by King David but by someone else. It's a psalm which been one of my favorite Psalms for many -- many years and

hopefully you'll understand why as we go

through this passage today about psalm 42.

The psalmist starts off by saying as

the deer pants for streams of water so

my soul pants for you O God. As the deer

pants for streams of water, we have deer that run around these woods we have deer that run back behind me down through the valley + up through the hill on the other side. Typically when you think about a deer that's running ----why are they

running??

Normally it's because they're being chased --they're being hunted. Some of us like to hunt -- I have deer hunted often in the past and when you're

hunting and the deer see you ----they take off and they run from fear.

As the deer is panting for streams of water the deer being hunted chased--- maybe right now

you might feel like you're being hunted or chased? There's a lot going on within our society --today there's a lot going on within our businesses --there's a lot going on within our homes and --there's that question for God----where are you

The psalmist is going to say that but for

some people--- they can feel like there's a demonic that's chasing them--- hunting them down and my question is where do you and I turn???

As the deer pants for streams of water so--

my soul pants for you. My soul thirsts for God. The Hebrew word here for God is

Elohim ---Elohim my soul thirsts for Elohim

the Living God.

The deer thirsts for the water ---who do we thirst for??

It's interesting if we go to John chapter 4 when Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman at the well. She questions ---who are you Jesus??

He says, would you give me some water and then he says to her---- you know --if you knew who I was I can give you waters of life I will refresh your soul for eternity. In John chapter 7 we read that when he is at a festival in Jerusalem the last day of the festival John 7 verse 37 the greatest day of the festival Jesus stood up -----and said in a loud voice ---if anyone is thirsty come to me and drink whoever believes in me as the Scriptures has

said streams of water will flow forth from them…

As the deer pants for water -- as we feel the pressures of life coming on us where do we turn?

My prayers that we turn to the one who gives us life-- the water of life my soul thirsts for –

God the Living God ---when can I go and meet with God? That's a good question ---right

now around our nation around the world churches have canceled for Saturday and Sunday events throughout the whole week.

Where can we go to find God? The psalmist

says verse 3 my tears have been my food night and day ---my tears the first verse is that the deer is looking for that fresh water. We know that fresh water comes from Jesus Christ.

The psalmist says--- his tears were his water the question is where do you and I turn to during this time for grace and strength in our life?

While men say to me all day long where is your God? Have you heard that from some people this past 3-4 weeks --- why would God cause this to happen ----why would God allow this to happen

--- where is God in the midst of this

----friends I say God is right in the midst of it

--- God is walking with his people God is calling us as we talked about last week Sunday. Calling us to reprioritize ----to come back to be refocused on the Lord Jesus Christ

These things I remember so

says the psalmist. Oh we forget -- don't we

where is their God where is our God??

We forget we have that spiritual amnesia