For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. Psalm 95:3-4
In our Bible study yesterday, we acknowledged that we are invited to come to God honestly, just as we are, and to share our genuine emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Feelings are important and allowed to be shared. When it comes to our feelings, however, we were reminded during the weekend message of another important truth: feelings do not have to be final. As we navigate our feelings, we must still turn to what we know to be true of God and His Word. King David understood that he could bring his honest feelings to God, yet, amidst his emotions, he continued to turn his focus back to God and who He is.
As David processed his thoughts, feelings, and emotions before God in Psalm 22, he let the truth about God and His Word anchor him instead of his emotions. After writing the words we looked at yesterday, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” and expressing that God felt far away, David acknowledged the truth he knew about God (verse 1). He wrote, “Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel” (verse 3). Yes, David’s circumstances felt lonely and isolated. He felt abandoned, even by God. Despite these feelings, God was still on the throne and in control, and David reminded himself of this truth amid his lament and despair. He continued to remind himself of this truth throughout this Psalm. As a result, this Psalm is a mix of expressions of despair and anguish and remembrances of God, the one in control who holds the world in His hands. Isn’t that a picture of what life is like, navigating our emotions as we walk through struggles and hardships, all the while seeking to look back to God as our anchor?
We have real feelings and emotions that result from the hardships and the pain we endure because we live in this world that has been broken by sin, and we also have a real God who is still in control amidst it all. Psalm 95 says it this way, “For the Lord is a great God…He holds in His hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry lands, too” (verses 3-5). As great as our struggles and emotions we feel are, our God is greater. He rules and reigns supreme over everything. He is in control even when it feels as if everything is spinning out of control.
If you can relate to David’s words in Psalm 22, maybe what you need today is a reminder of who God is: the King of the universe who not only created this world and everything in it, but also holds the world in His hands. Even amidst your questions, your laments, and your pain, God is in control and at work, even if you cannot see how He is working. Set your eyes on Him, and you will find perspective and peace.
Pick a passage of Scripture from Psalm 95 to memorize that consists of a truth from God’s word. As you process your emotions and bring those emotions honestly to God, set your mind on the Scripture you chose to memorize. Focus on the Scripture you memorized and set your heart and mind on what is true about God and His word, even amidst your struggles, doubts, and difficulties. Let this truth anchor your heart and mind on God and what you know about Him, and bring you peace.
“God, as I set my mind on the truth from Your word, guide me…”
Psalm 95:1-11
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today! 8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. 9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. 10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ 11 So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
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