Desert Wadi

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God” (Ps. 42:5, 11). (To see the entire Psalm for this blog, click here).

Thirst. Distance. Pouring out. Memories. Cast down. Turmoil. Breakers. Waves. Oppression. Forgotten. Deadly. Wounds. Taunt. Adversaries.

These are the things of suffering.

Deep suffering.

“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls” (Ps. 42:7).

The flash flood comes cascading, crashing down the Israel wadi, stealing lives by surprise, tearing up unsuspecting vegetation, crashing, overwhelming. The flash flood of suffering, discouragement, rejection, despair breaks and crushes.

Cast down. Turmoil. “Hope in God.” How? How hope? When all is drowning. When the waves of the wadi flood toss and turn and upside down is right-side up and up is down and down is up. When gasps for air only bring in gallons of water-suffering.

How hope?

David, the author of Psalm 42, was only a foreshadowing of a greater David. His greater Son too sang the psalms and recited them in synagogues and in the Temple. His greater Son who knew separation from his Father, who longed to come before him again in glory (Jn. 17), who wept over Jerusalem, who wept (far too light of a word) in the gethsemane garden, who was crushed in the judgment of God against all the world’s sin, taunted by his enemies, oppressed, and deadly wounded on the cross.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me” (John 14:1).

How hope? We see Jesus, who hoped perfectly in God and whose perfect hope covers our failing hope. We see Jesus, who shows us the goodness of God even in the wadi floods. We see Jesus, who took the flood so that we would never be so completely overwhelmed, so completely crushed. We see Jesus, in whom all the promises of God are yes (2 Cor. 1:20-21).

Hope I can, because I see Jesus. “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my Salvation/Savior and my God” (Ps. 42:5, 11).