T - 43 Days; Psalms 43

I was reading either someone's blog post or forum post the other day & they had a great idea. Her & her fiancé were reading Psalms in reverse, counting down the days until their wedding. I liked that idea & shared it with Anthony. So, since there are 43 days left until our wedding, we are reading Psalms 43. 

 ¹ Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause 
   against an ungodly people, 
from the deceitful and unjust man 
   deliver me! 
² For you are the God in whom I take refuge; 
   why have you rejected me? 
Why do I go about mourning 
   because of the oppression of the enemy?
 ³ Send out your light and your truth; 
   let them lead me; 
let them bring me to your holy hill 
   and to your dwelling! 
⁴ Then I will go to the altar of God, 
   to God my exceeding joy, 
and I will praise you with the lyre, 
   O God, my God.
 ⁵ Why are you cast down, O my soul, 
   and why are you in turmoil within me? 
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, 
   my salvation and my God.

There is so much that could be said about this psalm. A decent preacher could spend weeks on it. I won't dig too much into it tonight but...wow...there is so much going on here. 


I can relate so much to what the psalmist is saying here...maybe not to the extreme he is feeling at the moment but I have experienced times where I needed God to defend me. Times when I felt like even God was so far away. Read God's Word and it speak so clearly that I had to make the decision to trust what it said and follow or call God a liar & part from Him. There was a time where I had pulled away so much from God that I was on the verge of leaving the church all together. But, one day, an uncontrollable urge to read the Bible came over me. His Truth lead me back to Him & into a deeper relationship than I could have ever imagined. His Word put an unexplainable, insatiable hunger within me to learn more & more about Him & his only son, Jesus. I love my God so much & so eagerly want to praise Him but my songs & praise alway seem so lacking. I long for the day when I see Him face-to-face & I am able to praise Him like I was created to do. 


This psalm reminds me so much of the song, "His Eye is on the Sparrow." I'll list the lyrics below.

1. Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
   Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,
   When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
   • Refrain:
     I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free,
     For His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
2. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
   And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
   Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
3. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
   When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
   I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
   His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.