Psalm 42

For the director of music. A maskil^[c] of the Sons of Korah.

¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. ² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ³ My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” ⁴ 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 joy and praise among the festive throng.

⁵ Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

⁶ My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. ⁷ Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

⁸ By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹ I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? ¹⁰ My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

¹¹ Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Psalm 55:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

¹ Listen to my prayer, O God, do not ignore my plea; ² hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught

Job 30:20 New International Version (NIV)

²⁰ “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me.

Job 40:6 New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

WAITING FOR ANSWERS

Today we will focus on Job and David, two men who weren’t afraid to acknowledge that they had questions. Two men who asked why? How long? What is going on? When? How come?

The psalms are full of David’s questions. The book of Job is all about seeking answers from the Lord and, in its conclusion, God answers by questioning Job.

Throughout the scriptures we find people waiting for answers. In our own experiences, there is no shortage of questions nor the waiting that comes along with them. What answers are you waiting for today?

Here are some thoughts to keep in mind when we are waiting for answers…

• Its o.k. to ask
• God’s answers may not make sense to us
• Don’t confuse waiting for an answer with waiting for a YES.
• Others will try to answer on God’s behalf (like Job’s friends) and while those answers may have some bits of truth with them, they are not THE answer that we need from God.

Here are some answers that God wants us all to hear today, regardless of our questions…

1. I am listening
2. I am with you
3. I am acting
4. I am bigger than your questions
5. I am the answer