Let's turn back to Psalm 42. I have entitled this message,
Where is your God? Where is your God? Look in verse 3 of Psalm 42. David said, My tears have been
my meat day and night while they continually saying to me, where
is thy God? And this was spoken by David's
enemies. And they said it when he when
he was in a very low state, his tears had been his meat night
and day, he was depressed and he was down. And they said, where
is your God, David? Look at you. I sure don't see
him acting on your behalf. I sure don't see where he has
anything to do with you or whether he's doing anything in your life.
Look at you. Where is your God? I hear you
talk about God, but it seems to be nothing more than talk.
You sure can't see him acting on your behalf. And then in verse
10 of Psalm 42, he said, as with a sword in my bones, My enemies
reproach me while they say daily unto me, Where is your God? Where is your God? Where is your God? Now, David said in verse 1, As
the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after
thee, O God." Now, the picture here is a thirsty deer. Perhaps he has been fleeing from
a predator, and he pants for water. But there's none in sight. He's in a bad state. He's not
in a good state. That's the way this psalm is
generally portrayed. We ought to be thirsting after
God, and indeed we should. But the reason he felt as though
he was thirsting after God is he felt like he wasn't in His
presence. He couldn't see Him. He couldn't find Him. He says
in verse 2, My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear
before God? I feel as though I've been banished
from His presence. When can I come and appear before
him. Verse three, my tears have been
my meat day and night. I'm miserable and then my enemies
continually reproach me with this. Where is your God? I've heard you say things like
if God be for us, who can be against us? Well, is he for you?
How? Why? Where? When? We don't see it. Where is your
God, David? And oh, how this tore David up. Because he was saying, where
is he? I don't see him either. Verse
four, when I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me. And then he remembers happier
times. Now, when David wrote this psalm,
he was running from Absalom. He was hiding, and he was not
able to participate in public worship. And he is remembering
the times when he was enabled to hear the gospel. That's what
he heard, the gospel. You know what it is to hear the
gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit? when you know it's God
speaking, and you know it's the truth. What a blessing that is. And David is mourning over the
fact that he can't do this now. And it made him miserable. You see, the Lord makes himself
known in public worship. He said, where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of you.
The Lord's presence is here, right now, as the saints gather
together. That's what this is. The Lord
walks amongst the golden candlesticks, doesn't he? He gives his special
presence in public worship. Are you saying that's more important
than private worship? No, I'm saying that they're both
important, but if you don't worship publicly, I don't believe you
worship even privately either. Public worship. And David was
so grieved that he was not able to go. And it was just killing
him. You know, I hope I have this attitude about worship.
The Lord's here. And if he's here, I want to be
here. I don't want to be. I don't want to not be where
he is. That's our attitude about public
worship. And David was grieved over this. And if I can, if I can treat
public worship without being grieved over missing it. It says
something about the state of my soul, doesn't it? You see,
the Lord's here. He says, when I remember these
things, I pour out my soul in me, for I've gone with the multitude.
I went with them to the house of God with the voice of joy
and praise, with a multitude that kept holy day. Verse five. Why art thou cast down, depressed? That's what it means. O my soul, why art thou disquieted
in turmoil, a rage within, within me? Now, he's speaking about
how he felt. He felt depressed. He felt in
turmoil. You know, the Lord knows the
way you feel. There's no use trying to act any different before
him. He knows how you feel. And David
is expressing himself at this time. He says, hope thou in God,
for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. And my marginal reading says
his presence is salvation. The help of his countenance and
his presence is salvation. Now is it any wonder why David
wanted to know where the Lord was? Because his presence is
salvation. I want to have his presence in
every respect because his presence is salvation. Verse 6, Oh my
God, my soul is cast down within me. That's my state, utterly cast
down. Therefore, I'll remember thee
from the land of Jordan. He's going to start thinking
about happier times when the Lord had blessed him. And of
the Hermonites from the hill Miser. He says, deep calleth
unto deep at the noise of thy water spouts. All thy waves and
thy billows are gone over me. Now the only way I can understand
that is the Lord saying that. That's the Lord speaking from
the cross because he's the only one who had all of God's ways
and all of God's Go over him. This is the Lord speaking from
the cross. But because he spake this way from the cross, we have
this in verse eight. Yet the Lord will command his
loving kindness in the daytime and in the night. His song shall
be with me and my prayer unto the God of my life. Because of
verse seven, we have verse eight. I will say in the God my rock. Why is now forgotten me? David
felt forgotten by God. He felt all alone. He felt isolated. He felt by
himself. Why go I mourning because of
the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones,
mine enemies reproach me while they say daily unto me, Where
is thy God? You talk about being a child
of God? Sure doesn't seem like you are. I don't see Him acting
in your behalf. You don't seem any different
from anybody else. Where is your God? What is all this talk about
God? Sounds like hypocrisy to me.
Verse 11. Why art thou cast down, O my
soul? Why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise Him who is the health
of my countenance. And that's the same phrase as
verse 5. His presence is salvation. I shall yet praise Him, for His
presence is salvation, and He is my God. Now, David feels as
though he does not have the presence of the Lord. That's the way he
feels. He feels as he Said, when can
I come into fear before God? I'm up there right now in verse
two. My tears have been my meat night and day while they continually
saying to me, where is thy God? I cry daily. I'm depressed. I'm
in turmoil, cast down and disquieted within me. I feel forgotten by
God and it kills me when they say, where's your God? It makes
me feel guilty. It makes me feel horrible. I
feel like I brought reproach on his name. It kills me. And
as far as the way things appear, where are you? I don't see you. I don't see you acting in my
behalf. I feel all alone. Where is God? You know, that's a question a believer
asks very often. In the stillness of our soul,
where is the Lord? I hope we're like that Shulamite
in the Song of Solomon. Tell me, O thou whom my soul
loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest
at noon. By night on my bed I sought him
whom my soul loveth. I sought him, but I found him
not. I will rise now, and go about
the city, and the streets, and the broad ways. I will seek him
whom my soul loveth. I sought him, but I found him
not. The watchman that go about the
city found me. To whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? I opened to my beloved, but my
beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone. My soul failed. When he spake, I sought him,
but I could not find him. I called him, but he gave no
answer." Now that is the cry of the Shulamite, the church,
the believer. Well, where is he? It's my prayer
that I'll be enabled to answer that question tonight from the
Word of God. Where is thy God? First, He's in His Word. He's in His Word. And you will
not know Him. You'll not know where He is.
You'll not know who He is apart from this Word. He said, you
search the Scriptures, and in them you think you have eternal
life, and they are they which testify of me. I love that Scripture
in Romans 9, when it says, the Scripture sayeth to Pharaoh,
even for this same purpose have I raised thee up. Now somebody
says, now wait a minute, the Scripture hasn't even been written
yet. When That statement was made, and it was the Lord who
said to Pharaoh, even for this same purpose, have I raised thee
up? Yes. Is there any difference between
the Lord speaking and the Scripture speaking? Absolutely not. He is in His Word. Thou hast magnified thy Word
above. All thy name, the psalmist said. Now, I don't know what all to
say about that, but it sounds glorious, doesn't it? That is
the word of God. Paul said to Timothy, from a
child that has known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ
Jesus. He's in his word. I know that. And I realize that
we can't know his word. Unless he makes his word known
to us, he must reveal himself to us. The Bible is a closed
book unless he opens it and opens our heart and opens our understanding.
We can't understand the scripture, but I know this. He is in his
word and we won't know him. We won't see him. We won't find
him apart from this book, the Holy Scriptures. Where is he? He is wherever two or three people
meet together in his name. He made that promise. Where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the
midst of them. Wherever anybody gathers together
to hear the gospel, that is where he is. He still walks among the
golden candlesticks. I can't help but think of Thomas,
the doubting disciple. The Lord appears after the resurrection. Who was the one disciple that
wasn't there? Thomas. He was the one disciple
that wasn't there. Who was the one doubting disciple? Thomas. Thomas probably had a
good excuse. Probably had a good reason to
not be there. But if he's here, let me ask you, if he's here,
is there ever a reason not to be here? If he's here. He is in wherever his people
meet together. That's where he's at. You want
to know where he's at? That's where he's at. He's promised that.
Where is he? Well, I know this. I love thinking
about this. He's where he's always been.
On the throne. Our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath
pleased. Is God in that? Yep. He sure
is. He's in control of everything.
He's in control of everything. He's where he's always been.
ruling and reigning in absolute, uncontested sovereignty. Whatever is done is Him doing
His pleasure. Daniel said, He doeth according
to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants
of the earth. Those folks down here. And none
can say His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou? That's
where He is. He's seated at the right hand
of the Father, ruling and reigning in the heavens, doing as he pleases. That's where he is. Where's God? Well, he's in Christ. God was in Christ, reconciling
the world to himself. Not imputing their trespasses
to them. That's such a glorious thing
to think about. Only, my sin. This is the gospel. My sin that I'm so aware of. God does not impute it to me. That's the gospel. Only he can.
Everything I think about myself is actually worse than I think.
But here's my hope. God doesn't charge me with it.
Why? Because he charged it to his
son. It became his son's. God is in the gospel. You know, the Lord said, He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father. What's that mean? Exactly what
he says. His name should be called Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. That's who Jesus Christ is. Such is the excellency and glory
of His person that if you see Him, you see God. God was in
Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Another way of saying
this is He is in the Gospel. He's in the Gospel. If you want
to know where He is, He's in the Gospel. Where's God? He's in every act
of providence. Every. Without any exception. He's in every act of providence. Paul said, we know that all things
work together for good to them that love God, to them who are
called according to His purpose. He's in every act of providence.
Now how that translates is a fella's cursing David and throwing rocks
at him and saying, you're a bloody man. And Joab says to David,
you want me to go take his head off? And David said, no. The
Lord told him, curse David. That's why he's doing it. The
Lord told him to do it. Eli, he hears that God is going
to kill both of his boys. What does he say? It's the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. Now, that's how that translated.
That's not just. High theology that affects how
we see everything, God, where is he in every act of providence,
he's the first cause. I love that passage of Scripture
and second or first Peter one seven, where Peter says now,
if need be, Catch that word, if need be. Now, if need be,
you're in heaviness through manifold temptations. You know, if you're
in heaviness, you know why? If you have these terrible trials,
you know why? They're exactly what you need,
given to you by a kind, merciful, heavenly Father who's giving
you exactly what you need. And that's why we can kind of
enjoy when we fall into trials. We don't fall, we don't joy in
the trials, but we rejoice in Him who sent them and we rejoice
in the fact that He's given them to us in mercy because it's exactly
what we need. Where is the Lord? He's in every
act of providence. You can't take that too far.
He's the first cause behind everything. Why? He's in every breath we
take because the scripture says in Him we live and move and have
our being. Where is God? I don't even know what all to
say about this, but I trust the Lord will teach us something
in this. Elisha, after the Mount Carmel incident, after the fire
came down from heaven and Consumed the sacrifice, and he killed
850 false prophets. I think that he thought there
was going to be a mighty revival after that. He felt really good
about what had taken place. And instead, Jezebel says, let
him know I'm going to kill him. And he goes off into the wilderness,
and he's so down, he says, Lord, kill me. Just kill me. There's no point in me living
anymore. Nothing's happened the way I
thought it would. Just kill me. So the Lord brought him into
Mount Horeb. And he brought him out. And there
was a great rushing wind that was destroying rocks, very visible. But the Lord wasn't in it. And
then there was a mighty earthquake and a bunch of rocks thrown.
The Lord wasn't in that either. And then there was a fire that
burned and dissolved things. And the Scripture says the Lord
wasn't in that. All these visible, great things. Lord wasn't in,
but you know what he was in? Remember the scripture? A still,
small voice. The Lord's in. The still, small
voice. Psalm 22.3 says he inhabits,
you want to know where he's at? He inhabits the praises of his
people. Wherever you find true praise
to Him for who He is, a true worshiping of Him for who He
is and for what He's done, you find the Lord there, because
He inhabits the praises of His people. Wherever you find somebody
seeking the Lord, the Lord's there. You know, David said, When thou
sayest, seek ye my face. My heart said, Thy face, O Lord,
will I seek. You find somebody seeking the
Lord. I'll tell you who initiated that. It wasn't the person doing
the seeking. It was the Lord Himself. And wherever you find
someone seeking the Lord, seeking, saying, Where is God? That's
the Lord's blessing upon them. Are you seeking His presence?
Don't stop until you find him, but know this, the only reason
you seek is him. Where is the Lord? I think this
might be my favorite point. Where is the Lord? Where is he? Well, he is wherever
there is a need of him. And did you hear that? He is
wherever there is a need of Him. Luke 9, verse 11 says, He healed
them that had need of healing. Now, I know this. I need the
Lord. I need Him. I need his presence. I need him to melt my heart so
I can hear the gospel. I need his spirit to enlighten
me. I need his righteousness to make
me accepted before God. I need his mercy. I need his
grace. I need thee, precious Jesus,
for I am full of sin. My soul is dark and guilty. My heart is dead within. I need
the cleansing fountain where I can always flee. the blood
of Christ most precious, the sinners perfectly. Do you need Him? He gave you that need. And He is wherever there is a
need of Him. He's with His people. Lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the world." He's with
us because He's in us, whether we feel Him or not. Colossians
127 says, Christ in you, the hope of glory, and He's seated
at the right hand of the Father, appearing in God's presence for
us as our great intercessor and advocate. Now, where is He? He's
real near. Would you turn with me to Romans
chapter 10? Romans chapter 10. Brethren, my heart's desire and
prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I bear them record that they
have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being
ignorant of God's righteousness, and here's the evidence that
they're ignorant of God's righteousness, they're going about to establish
their own righteousness. They've not submitted themselves
unto the righteousness of God, His righteous character, His
righteousness in their damnation, or His righteousness in their
salvation. For Christ is the end of the
law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describeth
the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth
those things shall live by it. The righteousness of the law
is your own perfect personal obedience. How do you measure
up there? But the righteousness, which
is of faith, speaketh on this wise. Say not in your heart,
who shall ascend into heaven? What can I do to get me into
heaven? That is, to bring Christ down
from above. What can I do that will cause
Him to respond to me? Don't say that. Or who shall
descend into the deep? That is, bring up Christ again
from the dead. What can I do to make what He did in His death
work for me? What can I do? All that is, is
works. You see that? All that is, is
works. That whole way of thinking. It's
so ingrained in our thinking, but all it is, is works. Verse
8, but what sayeth it? The word is nigh thee, very close,
even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith
which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus Jesus to be absolute Lord, the Lord of lords and King
of kings, the sovereign of the universe. And if thou shalt believe
in thine heart. That God had raised him from
the dead, not merely the fact that it took place, but why it
took place, God was satisfied with what he did. That's why
I raised him from the dead. If thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with
the heart, the mind, the understanding, the affection, the will, with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness. With my understanding,
I understand that the righteousness of Christ is the only righteousness
there is before God. And I do understand that. Not
only do I understand that, I love being saved by His righteousness.
Not only do I love it, if given the choice, with my will, I choose
being saved by Christ's righteousness over being saved by my own. Can
you say that? With the heart, man believeth
unto righteousness. And with the mouth, confession
is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, Whosoever
believeth on him, shall not be ashamed. They won't be put to
shame, and they won't be ashamed. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same Lord over all is
rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now here's how near
he is. Whosoever. Are you one of those? Are you the whosoever? Do you
fit this description? Whosoever, I'm one of them. Shall call on the name of the
Lord. Here's the important part. The name of the Lord. That's
his attributes. That's who he is. When I call
him the name of the Lord, it doesn't mean I'm just calling
out his name. It means I'm calling upon his sovereignty. Lord, save
me by an act of your sovereign will. Will my salvation. Give
commandment to save me. Save me by your justice in a
way that honors your justice. Save me by your grace. Save me
by your power. Save me by your wisdom. Save
me by who you are. Save me. Here's the easy word, shall call. What's that mean? Help! Help! Help me! Save me! Here's the sure word, shall be
saved. How close is he? How near is
he? Well, whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. Where is your God, David? Well, he's in the heavens doing
whatsoever he's pleased. He's in his word. He's where
his people meet. He's in Christ. He's in every
act of providence. He's in the still, small voice.
He's in the praises of His people. He's wherever you have a seeking
sinner. He is wherever there is a need of Him. He's with His
people. He's at the right hand of God.
And He's very near. And His ear is not short that
He can't hear. Let's pray.