“As the deer longs for the streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him.” (ever feel this way, oh if I could only stand in the Glorious Presence of the living God!)

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise Him again, my Savior and my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember You.

I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing His songs, praying to God who gives me life.

“Oh God, m rock, ” I cry, “why have You forgotten me? Why must I wonder around in grief opperessed by my enemies?”

Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”

Why am I discouraged? Why is m heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will prise Him again, my Savior and my God!

Declare me innocent, O God! Rescue me from these unjust liaras.

For You are God, my only safe haven.

Why have you tossed me side? Why must I wander around in grief oppressed by my enemies?

Send out Your LIGHT and Your TRUTH

Let them guide me.

Let them lead me to Your holy mountains, to the place where You live. (to God’s Glorious Presence)

There I will go to the altar of God, to God, the source of my JOY.

I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again, my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42: 1-2, 5, 7-11 43:1-5

I don’t know who the author is of this Psalm, (a descendent of Korah, who actually was a temple worker, a very bad dude who led a revolt against Moses and God, and who ended up burried alive in the ground by God, Numbers 16) but he is in great distress. He longs for God’s presence, he wants only to go to Him and worship his God.

He is discouraged. He senses trouble coming upon him like the raging waves of the sea. Each day this trouble sweeps over him like a roaring tide.

Yet he says, “Each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me. And I will sing praises and pour out my heart to Him.”

He asks God, who is his only rock, “why have you tossed me aside, why have you forgotten me?”

Yet he cries out to God, “send me Your Light, give me Your truth, guide me, only, to You, oh God.

There I will worship You. There I will praise You, even though trouble washes over me. You alone are the source of my JOY.

Why am I discouraged,” he says over and over, “why is my heart so sad?

I will put my trust in My God.

And I will praise Him again and again.”

I know some of you face dire problems. I know there is much trouble, sickness, sadness, sorrow, and discouragement to over come in this world. But my friends, the key to victory over these things is trusting in our God at all times.

When its the hardest to trust that’s when we need to trust the most.

Running to Him first in all things, laying all our troubles and burdens at His feet. Every time.

Long for God. Worship your God through Praise and thanksgiving. Praising Him no matter what the circumstances, no matter how wrong it seems, no matter how burdened we are and thanking Him all the time gives us victory. Victory over all the dark places Satan would love for us to be.

Do I do this all the time? NO. I need lots of reminders. I need a psalmnist telling me that he had troubles aplenty, and was in dire straights, yet he longed for God, he needs God like a deer needs water.

Go to God first. Turn your eyes upon Him. Long for Him. Run to His side. Hide under His wings. Pour out your heart to Him. Tell Him all your worries and troubles. But most of all, Thank Him and Praise Him!

5Kerry Wall, JoAnne Weinreis and 3 others