A Voice of Despair

Psalm 42:10 (KJV) As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

(Proverbs 30 also read)

I am currently reading a book about the Crusades.  As the last Christian stronghold fell to Islam and a few managed to escape they left behind their despair.  Their cry was the same as that from this Psalm.  If you are feeling that sense of hopelessness be aware that you are not the only voice in the night.

The part we might miss if we only looked at this verse is that there are other places in this Psalm that talk about God’s loving kindness and mercy.  Why the sudden chasm of hope?

We need to be encouraged to take the larger vision of life.  There are ups and downs.  We are not given specifics about the feeling of failure in this verse but if you look at the overview of Jewish history you see that the times God allows disaster are a result of large parts of the nation thumbing their collective and individual noses at Him.

So?  We do not live in isolation.  The effects of other people’s sin and degradation will often spill over onto our surroundings.  Keep the faith and trust that God will preserve His remnant.  Make sure you are part of that.