Psalm 43

It's very important to know the context of the Word of God.  When reading accounts and verses in the bible, it's important to know who wrote the Scripture under the Holy Spirit's guidance, when they wrote it, to who they wrote it, what it means and why.  But I think sometimes we forget to ask God to really speak to our hearts, learn a principle to apply to our hearts and to really identify with what we read for our lives today; in the here and now.

In his book Mornings and Evenings, Charles Spurgeon writes, "It is well frequently to weigh ourselves in the scale of God's Word.  You will find it a holy exercise to read some psalm of David, and as you meditate upon each verse, to ask yourself, "Can I say this?""

A friend and I have been going through the Psalms in our bible study, and yesterday we read Psalm 43.

This is what David penned being moved by the Holy Spirit:

"Vs. 1-Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. Vs. 2-For thou art the God of my strength: why does thou cast me off: why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Vs. 3-O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacle. Vs.4-Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.  Vs 5-Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God."

After reading this Psalm of David, I asked myself, "Can I say this?"  This is what Psalm 43 meant to me:

Vs 1-Judge me God.  Search me, try me, know me.  Plead my cause, because when I plead myself, I get it wrong.  I do it in anger, and I do it because someone hurt me.  But when you plead my cause, you know my heart, my motives and my intentions.  You also know my enemy's heart, motives and intentions.  You weigh me in the balances. Do I deserve what is happening to me?  Am I reaping what I have sowed? Or have my enemy's plotted wickedness against me to bring me down?  Deliver me from such evil men.  Vs 2-You are my God and my strength.  Why does it seem you are far away when my enemies are the closest? Is it because I am so focused on my enemies that I have lost sight of You? Why have I allowed the oppression of my enemy to cause me sadness and depression?  The Joy of the Lord is my strength!  Vs 3-I pray for Your light and Your truth to lead me.  Allow me to enter into Your holy hill, Your tabernacle, Your presence.  May I go boldly to Your throne of grace and be reminded every second of my day, whatever I may face, that you are here with me, protecting me and pleading my cause. Vs.4-Then I will approach Your altar with exceeding joy!  I will praise You with all that I have and all that I am!  Vs 5- When I ask myself, "Why am I cast down, why is my spirit uneasy?" I will hope and trust in my God.  The One Who has never let me down.  I will praise The One Who has never forsaken me!  Who gives me strength to go on, Who Sustains me.  My God.

Just sharing...

    how God spoke to my heart today...

        But that's just me!

"The Word of God is always most precious to the man who most lives upon it."

    Charles Spurgeon