Our Youth Renewed
(No. 3417)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1914.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING FEBRUARY
24, 1870.
"Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is
renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:5.
IN this delightful Psalm, one remarks how David finds something of
praise within him in everything of which he thinks. There are some
desponding, morbid, murmuring, ungrateful souls who find reasons for
complaining everywhere, but a man of David's spirit, on the contrary,
sucks honey out of every flower and praises God in connection with
everything! I noticed, while I was reading just now, how many of these
things would have made others mourn, but they only called forth from
David's soul, songs of praise! For instance, "Who forgives all your
iniquities"–some would be forever complaining that they had sins and
that those sins were a burden, but David sings of sin as pardoned! Some
would be mourning before God that they were not well in health,
complaining of their sicknesses, but David sang of Him, "Who heals all
your diseases." Morbid minds will be fretting about death and about
what might come after death, but David says, "Who redeems your life
from destruction." And now, in the view of his temporal and spiritual
blessedness, he pens this verse with which to crown his song, "Who
satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle's."
I invite you first notice in this verse and as you notice, ask that you
may enjoy– I. SATISFACTION.
David speaks of his mouth being satisfied with good things.
Satisfaction. A rare word! It rings like a silver bell– satisfaction.
The richest man in England has not found it. The greatest conqueror has
never won it. The proudest Emperor cannot command it. Satisfaction! It
is no more natural to man than it was to the horseleech to cease from
craving and crying for itself, "Give! Give!" As well might the sea be
thought to be full or its billows to be still, as the heart of man to
be thought to be satisfied! It is a spiritual blessing–it is a Divine
Grace that comes from the great satisfying God–the God who is,
Himself, All-Sufficient, is the only One who can be sufficient to fill
the heart of man. Satisfaction! Why, that means enough, and enough is a
feast!
David had enough of temporals and so, I trust, have we. If we are of
the Apostle's mind, we have, for having food and raiment, we are
therewith content. David had spiritual riches and that satisfied him,
and so have we, for if we have Christ, we have all things, for, first,
Christ is All and next, He that spared not His own Son, but freely gave
Him up for us all, how shall He not, with Him, also freely give us all
things? For all things are yours, whether things present or things to
come; all are yours and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. You have
enough, then, for you have all things! Your spirit is content with what
it has–no, more than content–you can say with David, "My cup runs
over." In receiving Christ into your soul, you have received more than
your soul can hold–you are filled with all the fullness of God!
The text, in speaking of satisfaction, uses terms which denote
satisfaction."Who satisfies your mouth with good things." In the mouth
is the palate. It is the place in which there is a sensuous kind of
enjoyment, which is here put as a figure of a higher and spiritual
delight. We do not merely receive God's good mercies–we enjoy them! We
have not lost our taste for them. We do not swallow the honey of the
Divine Mercy as though it were so much tasteless white of an egg, but
we know, through having our senses exercised and taught of the good
Spirit, how to get the flavor, the taste of the Word and to enjoy it.
"He satisfies your mouth." We have, all of us, desires after pleasures
which are natural to us, but believing men have desires after higher
pleasures–and these desires are, for the time being, satisfied until
we get into yonder realm where our capacities are enlarged, our desires
shall be increased and there, too, we shall be abundantly satisfied
with the fatness of His house, and shall drink of the river of His
pleasures forevermore! Until then, we are satisfiedwith Christ,
satisfied with His salvation, satisfied with the Holy Spirit, satisfied
with all His gracious operations, satisfied with the Covenant of Grace,
satisfied with its sureness, satisfied with the largeness of its
provisions, satisfied with the love of God, satisfied, indeed, with all
that the Lord wills, for we can say that His will is our will! There is
enough, then, and there is enjoyment of that enough.
Note as you take the words, "Who satisfies your mouth with good
things." See the variety of the satisfaction that is given. The mercies
bestowed are not only good–they are not a good thing–but '"good
things." The Christian's spiritual wealth consists of all manner of
good things. As we showed you last Thursday night–of Christ's fullness
have all we received, and Grace for Grace. He gives more Grace. He is
the God of all Grace. All sorts of blessings are provided for the
Believer and the satisfaction which he enjoys is the result of
receiving all the blessings that he can ever need. "He satisfies your
mouth with good things," that is, with pardons bought with blood, with
justifying righteousness, perfect and complete–with adoption and all
the privileges belonging thereto–with sanctification and all its
gracious results! Good things, superlatively good things, Beloved! Not
merely on good doctrines and good opinions shall you feed, but on real
things, real blessings, and these not all of one sort, nor after one
fashion, but like the fruit of that tree which becomes near to the
Throne of God, and which bears its fruit every month, and has a variety
of fruits to suit the tastes of all who come hungering to eat thereof!
The excellence also of the mercy which satisfies us is mentioned in the
text. "Who satisfies your mouth with good things"–emphatically good.
Many of "the good things of this life," as we commonly say, are only
good in a very modified sense. They are easily made into curses and
they often become temptations. But the good things of Divine Grace are
so good that they never can be anything else but good, and so good that
they make our bad things good! I mean that they make our bitter
affliction sweet and turn our trials into joys! He that gets Christ has
such a good thing that no tongue shall ever tell the goodness it. He
that gets everlasting love and all the streams that gush from that deep
and fathomless fountain, gets things so good, and in the most
superlative sense of that word, that they are like God, Himself, who is
essentially good. Ah, Christian, what a happy lot is yours! To have
good things from the good God and to have an abundance of them, and to
have yourself so ravished in the enjoyment of them that your soul can
say, "I am satisfied! It is enough. I am content. My soul is
overflowing with the good things of God!"
Once more, this satisfaction is continual The word is in the present
tense, "Who satisfies your mouth with good things." It is not, "did
satisfy it," though that is true. He did satisfy my mouth with good
things when first I came to Him and perceived the beauty of my Lord
Jesus. Often since then has He made His servant to sit at the banquet
table and there, in the presence of his enemies has he been fed. But
the text is in the present and that means who nowsatisfies, who,
to-morrow when it comes, shall still be your present help and still
shall satisfy–who not only will satisfy you in Heaven–though that is
true, for I shall be satisfied when I awake in His likeness–but who
even now, as far as your capacity goes, continually satisfies you in
things here below, not with things below, but with things
above–satisfied with God while yet absent from the Lord. Is not this
blessing, being in the present tense, peculiarly delightful? But it is
just that to which the worldling cannot come! All his good things are
generally in the past or the future. I mean his good spiritual things.
He will tell you of what he once felt, or else he hopes that they may
yet be in the days to come, and that one of these days he may be saved.
But the genuine religion of Christ is known by its bearing the motto of
"Today"–present salvation! There is no religion under Heaven except
the evangelical Truth of God that teaches present salvation!
I think I have read some such passage as this by an eminent cardinal,
since departed, and gone somewhere–I do not know where, for he has
gone somewhere where they have "Masses" for the repose of his soul, and
surely that cannot be in Heaven! Surely, they would not need to pray
for the repose of the souls that are there! But this departed cardinal
says something like this–"How delightful to die after having received
the saved viaticum from the hands of God's priest, with the memorial of
the cross upon your bosom and the crucifix upheld by holy hands before
your expiring eyes! To pass out of this world with the sound of the
passing bell in your ears and then to lie awhile, while gathered round
you are the prayers of holy men and blessed virgins consecrated to God
in the neighboring convent. To be carried out with the songs of
choristers, with the perfume of incense and with attending monks and
friars. To be put into holy ground, consecrated by sacred rites, amidst
the reading of words long honored by being used by the Holy Catholic
Church–to have the consecrated earth saturated with holy water falling
upon the coffin lid that bears the memorial of the cross," and so on,
and so on, and so on. How delightful! How delightful he makes it all
out to be, as if it all were a theater–nothing more–a piece of show!
What good could there be to a soul in all that performance, and all
that tag raggery and I know not whatbesides? What consolation could it
be to a departing spirit? But that evidently is the ultimatum, the
highest reward that can be obtained by that kind of faith!
But, Beloved, we speak out of this Book of God what we know and have
proved! And we tell you that you may be saved NOW! The pardon of sin is
not a thing merely for dying moments– it is a thing for this very
present hour! What says David? "Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imparts not iniquity; blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and
whose sin is covered." What says Paul? "There is, therefore, now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit." I dwell then, with a lingering delight
upon the present tense of these words, "Who satisfies"–today–"your
mouth with good things"–makes you even now a happy Believer, a
rejoicing Believer, a hopeful Believer, a contented child of God,
looking for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ and hoping to be
found among the waiting, worshipping company who "worship Christ Jesus
in the spirit, and have no confidence in the flesh." That is the first
thought of the text, then–satisfaction. Pass on now to the second
thought, which is– II. RENEWAL.
"So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Beloved, there is
need of this. Every Christian has need that his soul should be
restored–should be refreshed, re-invigorated, newly quickened. As to
those who are saved, there is a constant need restoring them to their
first love. This is promised in the Words before us. I say there is
need of it. There is need of it, first, because of the ordinary wear
and tear which operate upon spiritual life, as well as upon every other
form of life. You cannot serve God, you cannot praise, you cannot pray,
you cannot do anything without some expenditure of strength and,
therefore, you need to have that strength renewed. Moreover, in such a
world as this, combating with temptations, bearing up against the
current of society, and I know not what besides, of difficulty, takes
away our strength. We need, therefore, to go and drink again of the
brook by the way, that we may lift up our head once again. The ordinary
wear and tear of spiritual life requires renewal. Besides that, we are
often the subjects of sinful decline. Backsliding is too common a
complaint among Christians. We can ascend to the top of the mountain
and dwell with God, but our foot soon begins to descend. There is a
gravitation towards sinfulness in the best of men. Oh, that it were not
so, but we are very conscious that it is so and, therefore, we need to
have the renewal.
And yet again, we sometimes fall into sorrowful spiritual diseases. I
mean apart from sin. We may get depressed in spirit. We may be nervous,
fearful, timid. We may almost come to the borders of despair. We may
cry out with David, "All Your waves and Your billows have gone over me,
my heart is consumed because of grief." We may be brought very low.
Well, then, again we shall need renewal. So, what with wear and tear,
what with sinful inclination to decline, and what with the sorrowful
diseases which may come upon our mind, we often need renewing. Mark,
now, the peculiar excellence of the renewing that is spoken of in the
text. David says, "So that your youth is renewed." There is great deal
to be admired in the youth of the Believer. Youth is the time of
beauty. After a while, the furrows are plowed upon our brow, and the
gray hairs are scattered here and there, but the young man and the
maiden rejoice in the beauty of their youth. And I am sure it is
beautiful to see a young Christian. There is something so admirable in
his carriage and bearing, in his first ardor his, first love and zeal,
his first jealous sensitiveness and tenderness of heart, his
carefulness of walk and so on, that we cannot but admire him! But thank
God, we need not give up these things when our Christian youth, as to
time, has gone! Thank God, He can renew our youth to us spiritually
when we grow old bodily! And there is a beauty about the aged Christian
who is living near to God and dwelling on the borders of Heaven, quite
as fair to look upon as the beauty of the young Believer! So God gives
to His people from day to day a peculiar beauty in each season of
life– and thus their youth is renewed!
Youth, again, is the time for vigor The young man can run. He is
strong. He has even waste powers to throw away! And often how strong
are the young men in Christ Jesus! They are strong and have overcome
the Wicked One. Alas, it sometimes happens that growth in years does
not bring growth in Grace–and we have known some who have grown weak
and feeble as years have passed over their heads. But God can renew to
us all the vigor we ever had! All the strength we had for service
during the first 20 years of our Christian life, He can bring back to
us again! Though we may have been living under a starving ministry, and
so have lost our strength. Though we may have neglected much communion
with Christ, and so have lost our vigor, He can give it all back again,
and once more we shall run, and not be weary, we shall walk and not
faint! Youth, again, is the time for ardor, for fervency, for
enterprise. I would not say a word that might depreciate the wisdom and
mature prudence of old age, but for all that, the most of things that
are done in theworld must be done by the young blood. The radical
element comes in to stir the conservative element and quicken it into
activity. In the Christian Church there must be young blood coming in,
and if there is not, it is generally an ill time with that Church. But
surely, Beloved, it need not be that our first ardor, and enterprise,
and hopefulness should leave us. God can renew it to us at any time
during our spiritual career. He can renew our youth like the eagle's by
renewing our courage for Him, our confidence in Him, our energy towards
Him, our determination for Him, our willingness to run risks in His
cause, our ardor to tell to others what Christ's love has been in our
hearts. If you have lost that youth, cry to God tonight for it and He,
by His Spirit, will renew your youth to you! "Even the youths shall
faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fail. But they that
wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk and
not faint." Youth, too, is the time for joy. We expect young people to
be merry, and young Christians may well make merry and be glad, now
that they are brought into the house of feasting. God often makes the
early part of our Christian career to be smooth–He screens us from the
harder trials that will be necessary for us afterwards–but there is no
reason why the joy of the Lord should ever depart from a Christian.
I have not known many, but I have known some few Christians who are
just as happy and joyful as they ever were in the brightest period of
their lives and have continued so by the twenty years together! I do
not believe that spiritual decline, though it is very common, is at all
inevitable. I believe it to be as unnecessary as it is sinful. We might
always retain that early joy and delight. I must confess my own
experience is that whatever joy I had in Christ 20 years ago, I have
much more, now. Whatever I had that could delight me concerning Him was
shallow and superficial, then, compared with the deeper delight my
spirit finds in His service, in His work, in His people and especially
in Himself! There is no reason why we should not continue to be young.
A dear friend of yours who has lately gone to Heaven, who was close on
the verge of 80 years, and whom you all knew well, why, he was as much
a boy as any of us in the things of God! There was not one among us
that was more hopeful or more enterprising than was our dear venerable
father. We had only just to think of any good thing for Christ, and
instead of being, as some have a tendency to be when they get old,
rather inclined to be a drag on the wheel for fear lest the young
people should go too fast, he was always ready to gird up his loins and
run like Elijah before the chariot, and do a little more than anybody
else if he could! I pray that that may be our case–that we may bring
forth fruit in old age to show that the Lord is upright! So may it be
with us, and right on as long as ever we shall live may He renew our
youth like the eagle's! I shall now need your attention for only a few
minutes for a third point. We have had satisfaction and renewal. The
third thing in the text is–
III. A SIMILITUDE.
"So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." How is that? Socrates
and the old naturalists used to say that when eagles get to be very
old, they lost their old beak and talons, and feathers, and turned
young again. I suppose people used to believe that in those times, but
happily there is nobody who believes such rubbish as that now! I am
quite sure that David did not believe it, for my persuasion is the more
I look into the Bible, though some have said that the Bible was only
meant to teach us religion and that we must not look for accuracy as to
scientific facts, that that is a mistake–and that the Bible never
makes a mistake in natural history, in physics, or in anything else–is
as much Inspired about one thing as about another! There is nothing in
this text to lead us to believe that David meant that–nothing at all!
Some have thought and I think they are correct, that the allusion is to
the newly-molting of the eagle. As with every other bird at that time,
they appear haggard, and then when their feathers are grown again, it
makes them appear to renew their youth. I observe that many naturalists
whose works I have consulted on the subject declare that the molting of
the eagle is not sufficiently severe to produce any appreciable change,
and that David must have been a very acute observer, indeed, if he
could have detected such an alteration, and they seem to think that the
allusion is to the well-known longevity of the eagle, which lives on,
and on, and on, when many other birds have passed through many
generations. The grand old monarch of the craggy rocks is still young
when generations of other birds have passed away. So our youth is
renewed like the eagle's–that is to say, our spiritual life continues
on, and on, and on through time–right into eternity!
Let me, then, conduct your thoughts to the eagle for a minute. How is
the eagle's youth renewed? I suppose in four things–in its sight, its
flight, its might and its fighting.
The eagle has a keen eye, but its eye would grow dim unless there was a
constant renewal of its youth and, therefore, its eyesight is renewed.
The eagle-eye belongs to every gracious man. He can see farther than
the eagle can. He can see beyond the gates of pearl–he can see farther
than that–to the Throne of God! Yes, farther than that–into the heart
of God. He can say–
"The streams of love I trace Up to their fountain, God. And in His
mighty breast I see Eternal thoughts of love to me."
But the eagle eye of faith is often clouded with unbelief, and it is a
blessing for us that God increases our faith and that, once again, we
can see invisible things and rejoice to behold what has never been
given to mortal eye to see.
The eagle is a bird of strong flight, and that flight may be reckoned
as a part of its youth which is renewed. Large as it is, sometimes
measuring from six to eight feet broad when its wings are outspread,
yet as soon as it vanishes out of sight it is lost in the blaze of the
sun. At another time the eagle is on its flight, simply making
progress. So with the Christian. His youth is renewed. He mounts
upwards in communion with God, higher, higher, higher. His motto is–
"Nearer, my God, to Thee, Nearer to Thee! This still my cry shall be–
Nearer to Thee, nearer to Thee!" Up he mounts like the eagle, or at
other times he goes onward in his Christian pathway, going from
strength to strength until he appears before his God. Now, it is a
mercy for us that the Lord is pleased to renew our power of fellowship
with Himself–our power of making progress in the Divine Life–just as
He renews the eagle's youth.
The eagle has great power and might, too. He had need to be strong, or
when he carries his prey to his young ones, he might soon weary. And
you and I have souls to feed, and work to do for God and for His
Kingdom–and we need that our might should be renewed, like the
eagle's, that we may be strong for every service imposed upon us.
And then the eagle is made to fight. It smells the battle afar off and
delights in carnage. And the Christian, though he is a man of peace, is
also a man of war. From his youth up he has to contend with his
corruptions and fight with spiritual wickedness in high places! And he
needs that his power to fight should be daily renewed, even as is the
eagle's. May we experience day by day what it is to have our youth
renewed in these respects. But, now, let us ask the pressing and
practical question, how is it that the eagle's youth is renewed? Is it
not because there is a life within which renews it?God has so
constituted the eagle that it shall live on–God has so constituted a
Believer that he shall live on. He has put a living, incorruptible seed
within us that cannot die, and the Water of Life that He has given to
us, is in us a well of water springing up unto everlasting life!
Therefore is our youth renewed like the eagle's. There is a holy
nature, a spiritual immortality of Grace bestowed upon us and,
therefore, is our youth renewed.
The eagle's strength is renewed by the food it eats. That is indicated
in the text, "Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your
youth is renewed like the eagle's." When the eagle has satisfied his
hunger, he is strong again and when you and I have fed upon the Word of
God–especially upon the Incarnate Word of God–when we have been
privileged to eat His flesh and drink His blood, as spiritual men know
how, ah, then again, our youth has been renewed!
The eagle's strength is renewed by the air he breathes. Not here below,
in this smoky atmosphere, but up there, in the clear azure, where all
is bright–there does the eagle breathe the pure air and thus renew his
strength. So the Christian renews his strength, not here among
groveling gold hunters or pleasure hunters, or fame hunters, but up, up
there in the rarified atmosphere of communion with God! There he grows
strong, again, and comes down from the Heaven of heavens with his face
glowing with the radiance of renewed youth, renewed by breathing the
atmosphere of the skies!
The eagle's youth is renewed as the season returns, or, if the
reference I gave to some naturalists is correct, there is a season for
renewal. So when the times for God's Spirit to visit us with times of
refreshing come, then, and our strength is renewed. When we feel once
more the Holy Spirit bedewing us and our heart gets to be like Gideon's
fleece and we are saturated, then, like the eagle's, our strength is
renewed!
But I shall weary you, for there is so much scope here, if I continued
to speak. I shall rather leave you to think the matter over than
attempt to work out the fullness of such a text as this. And thus I
must bring you to the last Truth of God which I desire to enforce–
IV. A DIVINE QUICKENER.
Does not David say, " Who s atisfies your mouth with good
things"?–referring here to God, Himself. To make short work of this
last point, let me say to every Believer here who has been satisfied,
who has had Grace restored to him and his youth renewed like the
eagle's–you have had all this from God! You have never had your soul
renewed from anywhere or anyone else but from Him! You have never had
your mouth filled with good things except by God. Every temporal mercy
has His mark upon it, for He sent it. Those houses, those children,
that competence of yours–all came from Him. As to every
piritualblessing, you must see His mark thereon–
"There's never a gift His hand bestows,
But cost His heart a groan."
Well, it all comes from God! Then remember that and let it be all the
dearer to you! Let it make your soul cling still closer to God to think
that all these blessings have come from Him.
Well, then, if all has come from God, be it remembered with that fact
that all has been through God. From Him and through Him–I mean that no
mercy would have been a mercy if God Himself had not made the
mercy–and that no spiritual gift could have been yours unless God
Himself had been in the gift! In fact, there is no good thing until you
get God Himself–
"Less than Yourself cannot suffice, My comfort to restore."
Life is nourished, not so much by bread, as by God's decree that bread
should nourish us, for, "man shall not live by bread, alone, but by
every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live." So
the ordinances do not feed your soul, it is God IN the ordinances! It
is not the sacramental bread and wine. It is not Baptism. It is not
coming up to listen to a poor mortal like ourselves. It is not even
private prayer–it is God IN the prayer, God IN the preacher, God IN
the ordinance, so that you not only have everything from God, but that
which satisfies and renews you is God Himself! Oh, to say, "My Lord and
my God: the Lord is the portion of my soul!" This is sweetness, indeed.
Well, then, as you get everything from God, and by God, ascribe
everything to God. Let nothing pass by without praise. Reckon that
nothing comes to you by chance. Do not conclude anything to be your
desert or your earning. Bless God for it all! "Oh, clap your hands, all
you people. Come into His courts with thanksgiving. Praise Him with
cymbals, even the high-sounding cymbals." Let Him have the best of your
songs, for you have the best of His gifts. Praise Him with a new song,
for you have new mercies for which to sing.
And if you thus ascribe everything to God, take care that you use
everything for God. Let your temporal mercies be consecrated to Him.
Give Him the first fruits of all your increase, so shall your barns be
filled with plenty, and your presses shall burst with new wine. Give to
God all your spiritual strength and whenever you feel that you are
renewed in it, do not shake yourselves as though your strength were
your own, and you might use it as you like–but when the Spirit of the
Lord moves upon you as He did upon Samson in the camp of Dan, go out
and smite the Philistines as he did. Go and help in the Master's work
and the Master's children–watch over the Master's sheep, fight the
Master's foes and thus shall you continue to have your mouth satisfied
with good things and your youth renewed because the Lord will see that
you are not wasting it, or spending it upon yourselves, but giving it
all to Him.
I am sure I grieve much that such a text as this should not have a
bearing upon you all. But alas, there are some here, there are some
here who are notsatisfied and you never will be, my dear Hearer, till
you get Christ! There are some here whose youth is not renewed. No, it
were a pity that it should be. You must be born-again! You must, you
MUST be born-again! Oh, that you may now be born-again, for otherwise
for you to renew your youth would be to renew your sins and increase
your ruin! My dear Friend, what you need most is a new heart–and there
is only One who can give it to you, and that is He who made Heaven and
earth, even Christ Jesus! What you need is to have your sins washed
away and it is only He who can do it, who first filled the channels of
the deep and who now can wash away your sins in His own blood. Trust
Him and it is done! Trust Him and it is done altogether. Trust Him and
it is done altogether and forever! He that believes in Him is saved,
for He who cannot lie has said it, "He that believes and is baptized
shall be saved." Be obedient to that double command and, in obedience,
you shall find that God is faithful to His Covenant, to His Son and to
you to whom the promise is made–and you shall be saved! God bless you
for Christ's sake. Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALM42.
Verse 1. As the hart pants after the water brooks, so pants my soul,
after You, O God. It is said that when they cannot find water, they
sometimes let loose a hart, which, flying over the desert sand, by
instinct seems to scent out the water brook. If he cannot find it,
however, the stag is subject to a burning thirst. He stands and pants.
His sides heave while he thirsts. So says David, "As the hart pants (or
"brays") "after the water brooks."
2. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God: when shall I come and
appear before God?Not God's worship only. Not God's people, but God
Himself he thirsts for! Oh, for such a thirst! The next best thing to
having God is to have an insatiable thirst for Him. Do you think a soul
ever could be cast away that longed for God? Impossible! There is never
a soul in Hell that had any sincere longings after God. Grace is in
your heart, dear Hearer. That thirst is Grace if you are longing after
the living God.
3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say
unto me, Where is your God? "You are forsaken. God has forgotten you."
At the very thought of this, he had the salt meat of his tears and
nothing else, for there is nothing that touches a Christian's heart and
wounds him to the quick like that. "Where is your God?"
4. 5. When Iremember these things, Ipour out my soul in me for Ihad
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. Why are
you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted in me? Hope you in
God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help ofHis countenance. See how
he clings to God in the dark! When the question cuts through his soul,
"Where is your God?" he seems to say, "I will none but Him. I will
follow hard after Him. He is everything to me. I will be sick till He
heals me. I will be in the dark till He gives me light. I look to none
but to my God."
6. O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember
You from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the HillMizar.
Or the little hill. I knew You there. There did You meet with me and I
remember this. And can You have met me in love so often, and will You
cast me away now? You did there manifest Yourself to me–as You do not
unto the world, and You are an unchanging lover. Will You not come to
me again?
7. Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterspouts. Heaven's
troubles and earth's trials seem to clasp hands and form a waterspout.
The deep of Your dark purposes seems to echo to the deep of human
malice and Satanic wrath. "Deep calls to deep."
7. All Your waves and Your billows are gone over me. You have
concentrated an ocean upon my devoted head!
8. Yet. Oh, what a glorious, "yet," that is! How it swims! Never was
there a swimming suit like that which is made of hope!
8. 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.
How dear God gets to be to a gracious man in the time of trouble. Just
now he called God the health of his countenance. Now he calls Him his
very life. "My prayer unto the God of my life."
9-11. I will say unto God my Rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why am I
mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a swordin my
bones, my enemies reproach me while they say daily unto me, Where
isyour God? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you
disquieted, within me? Hope you in God: for I shall yet praise Him who
is the health of my countenance, and my God. Or, as the old Psalm puts
it–
"Yes, my own God is He."
A sweet collocation of words, indeed! "Yes, my own God is He." He seems
to revel in God–to find intense delight in God. God is everything to
him!