Psalm 42: 3-4 (NIV) - “My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joyand praise among the festive throng.”
Psalm 43: 3-4 (NLT) - “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!”

It is likely that this psalm was written during the exilic or postexilic period, when the people of God were not physically in the Holy City and the place of worship was in ruins. Not only that, the psalmist is persecuted by his enemies and being mocked.

Like the psalmist, in the darkest moments of our lives, when we are overwhelmed beyond what we can bear, control or understand, our faith is tested and we may wonder, “God, where are you?” In that moment, where do you go?  What is your default mode? Do you turn to distractions, other people, or do you simply rely upon yourself? The psalmist longed to go to the house of God.

When circumstances, crisis or even our sins threaten to take us far away from God and His presence, let’s be intentional to remember and proclaim together the truth of God’s faithfulness and remember His steadfast love for us as we sing praises and worship Him. As we worship Him, our perspective changes from focusing on me to focusing on who God is; the focus moves from my pain to His death on the cross for us; it changes from my sorrow to the sorrow He endured for our sins and the victory He won on the cross for us. Let God transform our worldview today as we worship Him.

-DP