Psalm 42

1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,

    so pants my soul for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God,

    for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food

    day and night,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

4 These things I remember,

    as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

    and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise,

    a multitude keeping festival.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation 6 and my God.

The Lord responds, from his very Word:

“I, the Living Water Spirit, fresh, ever-new, life-source, life-giving (John 7:37), not like the dead wadi pools, but the fresh river—

I myself, the Father, from whose throne flows river of delights (Ps. 36:8)—

I, the Son, who invite you to come and drink without cost (Isa. 55:1; Jn. 4:10)—

I can and I long to fill you, with all of my infinite being (Eph. 1:23; Eph. 3:19; Col. 2:10)

You ask when you can come before me? I invite you boldly to come, like a little child (Eph. 3:12; Mat. 19:14).

You can pour out your tears to me, for I hear and listen (Ps. 56:8).

You do not need to hide your pain or hurt; as a man, I too knew such hurts and with you I know your hurts (Heb. 4:15-16), what is done to you is done to me (Isa. 63:9; Acts 9:4). Oh my child! My heart is for you, and recoils at your pain! (Hos. 11:8-9)

I myself, in my being, will be your salvation. I! Me! Triune God! All of me working for you! (Isa. 64:4; Rom. 8:28).

My soul is cast down within me;

    therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,

    from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep

    at the roar of your waterfalls;

all your breakers and your waves

    have gone over me.

8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love,

    and at night his song is with me,

    a prayer to the God of my life.

And the Lord answers:

“I am with you, even in the land of Jordan and Mizar, the land of exile and distance, the land far from the temple where you question if I can be. I am with you in Hermon, the mountain of evil and the seat of hell, but I am with you. You may feel spiritually separated from me, surrounded by evil, but yet I am with you (Ps. 138:8; 2 Thess. 3:3; Rom. 8:35-39)  

Deep calls to deep—the watery chaos of crisis crests, one crest wave calls to another crest crisis to overwhelm and swamp you. You may feel one after another they batter and ram you, you cannot get a breath.

Though the waves of chaos/crisis may call out to one another against you, yet I too speak—I command my steadfast love, at night I sing over you. I command my love to pursue you (Ps. 23:6). My word is greater, my word is more powerful than the voice of the depths that seek to drown you. Night and day, I am more constant than the evil that stalks (Ps. 91; Ps. 121).”

9 I say to God, my rock:

    “Why have you forgotten me?

Why do I go mourning

    because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a deadly wound in my bones,

    my adversaries taunt me,

while they say to me all the day long,

    “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul,

    and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

    my salvation and my God.

“Have I forgotten you? Where am I? With you, always, in you by the Spirit, always. You are not an orphan (Jn. 14:18). My answer to you is the same answer I gave to Israel in exile when they felt forgotten (Isa. 49:14-16).

I too—I too hung on the cross, “My God, my God, have you forsaken me?” (Mat. 27:46; Ps. 22:1).

I too was taunted, mocked by my adversaries, surrounded by enemies of Romans, Jews, Gentiles, and you; surrounded by enemies of Satan, thrones, powers, principalities of darkness, and demons.

Why are you cast down? I am the lifter of your head (Ps. 3:3). I hear, and I save. I hear, and I act. I hear, and I am with you.

I speak a better word for you than your thirst, your doubts, your questions, your fears, your disquiet, your enemies, your crests of crisis. I speak for you.”