Enduring

Enduring Difficult Times (Ps. 42:1-11) Depression/Despair Heb. Shachach, cast down, brought low, despairing (Ps. 42:5) Heb. Hamah, disquieted, mourning (Ps. 42:5) Winston Churchill, considered by many to be one of history’s most courageous men, suffered terribly from depression most of his adult life. He once commented that it followed him around like “a black dog.” Abraham Lincoln, whose a “House Divided Against Itself” speech helped win him the presidency, knew all too well in his own life the awful divisiveness of doubt and depression. As a young man he wrote, “I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I fear I shall not.” After his amazing journey to the moon, astronaut Buzz Aldrin found that he was unable to cope with the life to which he returned and he suffered for years with terrible depression! Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of all time, known for his outstanding ability to communicate God’s Word, his sparkling wit and quick humor, who addressed crowds of 5,000 people by age 30, suffered a lifetime battle with depression. “My success,” he writes, “appalled me and the thought of that career which seemed to be opening up, so far from elating me, cast me into the lowest lifetime battle with depression. Panting for God (Ps. 42:1) An ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God. He went to a wise old sage for help. "How can I find God?" he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river and out into the deep water they waded. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Then without warning, the old man seized the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water. He held the young man down until the young man was thrashing the water in desperation. Another minute and he may well have drowned. Up out of the water the two of them came. The young man was coughing water from his lungs and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank the seeking man asked indignantly, "What did that have to do with my finding God?" The old man asked him quietly, "While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else?" The young man thought for a minute and then answered, "I wanted air more than anything else?" The old man replied, "When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find him." Soul Thirst for the Living God (Ps. 42:2, John 7:37) Heb., nephesh. In the Hebrew view soul, person, heart, mind, spirit are all viewed as a single entity. We know our God lives! (Jer. 10:10) It times of sorrow, the faithless ask, “Where is thy God?” (Ps 42:3 & 10, 79:10, Joel 2:17) God WILL answer them! (Micah 7:10)

Remember and pour out your soul (Ps. 42:4 & 6, 62:8, 1 Sam. 1:15, Lam. 2:19)

Separation from a “loved one” produces a sense of longing and fond remembrance Remember that God is faithful and all-powerful. (Jer. 32:17-25, Ps. 119:49-50, Lam. 3:19-23) Call out to God in confident prayer (Ps. 42:7-8, Jonah 2:1-10, Matt. 26:37-42) Don’t break the connection, instead, draw closer to God Hold on to the hope of God’s countenance/presence (Ps 42:5& 11, Joshua 1:9, Rom. 4:20-24, Num. 6:26) Heb., yachal, hope, wait, desire with expectation (Lam. 3:25-26) Expect God to act (Ps. 42:11) Demonstrate confidence in God by continuing in praise & good works (Ps. 71:14, Gal. 6:9) Hope can be a very powerful influence in our lives. In the final years of American imprisonment in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese moved our soldiers from small cells with one or two prisoners to large rooms with as many as 30-40 soldiers to a room. The soldiers preferred this situation for the companionship and strength they could draw from one another. They were also allowed at this time to receive packages and letters from home. Many men received word from their families for the first time in several years. In one of these cells was Navy officer, Lt. Commander Mike Christian. Over a period of time Mike had gathered bits and pieces of red and white cloth from various packages. Using a piece of bamboo he had fashioned into a needle, Mike sewed a United States flag on the inside of his prison shirt. Every night in their cell, the men would reminisce about home, their families and friends back home. In addition, Mike would put his shirt on the wall and they would all state the pledge of allegiance. Although the pledge of allegiance may not be the most important aspect of our day now, it was the most important aspect of the day to these soldiers. It brought them hope, pride and comfort that they desperately needed at the time. This had been going on for some time until guards came into the cell as the American soldiers were reciting their pledge. Immediately they ripped the flag off the wall and dragged Mike out. After being beaten for several hours he was thrown back into the cell. Later that night, as the prisoners were settling down to sleep on the concrete slabs they called their beds, under the solitary light bulb hanging from the ceiling, laid Mike. Still bloody and his face swollen beyond recognition, Mike was gathering bits and pieces of cloth together. He was sewing a new American Flag! How could this soldier respond in this way? The answer is this soldier possessed a deep hope in his heart. He had something to look forward to, something waiting for him back home, something worth fighting for. (As told by John McCain. From the files of Leadership). Generally it’s said, “As long as there is life, there is hope.” Lt. Commander Mike Christian and the Psalmist however, proved that “As long as there is hope, there is life.”