Psalm 42:9-11 Encouraged by God's Providence

The Providence of God refers to His divine, sovereign control over every aspect of His creation. God is in complete control over everything that happens in the world, from the dew dropping on the flowers to the sun rising in the east. God is in control of the ocean’s tides and the forming of hurricanes. God is in control of the lion as she stalks her prey, and of the gazelle, as she is about to be eaten by the lion.

A proper understanding of Scripture also leads us to conclude that God is sovereignly in control of every creature that has a will. He is sovereign over the angels and the demons, over kings and kingdoms, over Satan and over mankind. There is nothing in this universe which is out of His control. Everything that happens in this world happens because God either actively wills it to happen or passively permits it to happen.

The Providence of God provides peace for every believer, because we know that this Sovereign Lord of the Universe is the same God who loves us so much that He gave up His own Son to save us from our sins. Surely, He is working all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

However, the most spiritually mature believer can have a clear understanding of all of this, and still face experiences that cause him to feel like God is not in control. David goes through such an experience in Psalm 42.

Please read Psalm 42:9-11.

This tragedy that David has gone through has been so dark, that David feels like God is not present. God has never left David. God is always everywhere present, and He is always sovereignly working all things together for David’s good. But the clouds are dark and the wind is high, and David can't see the other side of the storm. He feels abandoned by God.

We will all go through times when we fell like this. But we must deal with those feelings the same way that David did: he did not allow his feeling of abandonment to isolate him from God; instead, he took those feelings to God. “I say to God, my rock: ‘Why have you forgotten me?’”

Sometimes we think that, because our feelings are almost blasphemous, that we should never express them out loud. But God knows your heart! He already knows what you are feeling. The last thing that God wants is for you to distance yourself from Him because you are feeling something that is ungodly.

David allows even this false accusation to draw him closer to God. Even when he feels like God isn’t there, he has not forgotten God’s providence. He uses this knowledge to encourage his own soul to rejoice. The skies might look dark now, but the sun will shine again. “I shall again praise Him.”