Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars. For you are God, my only safe haven. Why have you tossed me aside? 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 mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all 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!
Psalms 43:1-5 NLT
We may be tempted to believe that if we follow God then nothing bad will ever happen to us. Reading the Psalms will eliminate that false thinking! The author is innocent, but people are lying about him. He is struggling and full of sadness. Hard times are part of the life of faith.
Don’t miss what the psalmist is asking for. Yes, there is a request for justice and rescue. There is also a request for the Lord to send out light and truth—to be led to the holy mountain to worship God, the source of all joy. Though the psalmist is struggling and sad, a choice has been made to hope in the Lord.
Will you make that choice today? Walking with Jesus and hard times often go together. How does this make sense in your thinking? When have you chosen to renew your hope in the Lord after a time of disappointment or sadness?
