PODCAST
Praise Anyway
December 10th, 2017
Psalm 42:1-11
Difficult times are hard. Difficult times as we approach the celebration of Christmas seem to magnify in their impact on us. Many people find the Christmas holiday to be a time of anxiety, even of depression. Our expectations are heightened, and yet the realities of our lives sometimes leave us groping for hope and relief.
We do not know what the “sons of Korah” were experiencing when they gave voice to this psalm. It is possible these psalms were written in the face of impending exile, and are giving expression to uncertainty and fear. Somehow those who gathered the psalms into the book of Psalms as we know it found this to be a valuable expression of hope in the face of despair. Sometimes we must sing to ourselves!
Following Christ does not promise us freedom from stress, from opposition, from loss and grief.
Sometimes we must be willing to remind ourselves, even as we sing in the darkness, that God is still God, and the promises are still good!
Author: Jesse C. Middendorf
