A Winch for Loneliness
"I will yet praise Him" Ps. 42:5.

A Jeep that is stuck in mud past its axles isn't going anywhere. That's how
Christians committed to sharing the Gospel sometimes feel due to loneliness.

• In the girls' dormitory at a missionary kids' school in Indonesia, Lynne
  cries herself to sleep, lonely for her parents serving in another country.
• Samsung, a rookie missionary from South Korea, had eagerly anticipated
  serving Muslims in Mali. After three months on the field, the culture shock
  is so intense he feels like a convict serving a four-year sentence.
• At the airport in Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, Mindy waves goodbye to her
  last good friend. A year ago, she had four. Then, one by one they departed,
  leaving her alone in a cold land.
• John misses his fishing buddy, Mike. Ever since John witnessed to Mike,
  he seems disinterested in fishing together.

Wouldn't it be great if God understood our loneliness? He does!

Although possibly composed by two different authors, Ps. 42 and Ps. 43 are often treated
as a unit. They both describe someone far from home who poses the haunting
question: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?"
(Ps. 42:5, 11; 43:5)

Too often we lecture ourselves with sanctified bravado, "Just keep plugging,
no matter how awful you feel." But we ought to be confessing to others, "My
tears have been my food day and night" (42:3). Ps. 42 and Ps. 43 candidly
mention several causes of sorrow.

• Spiritual dryness—"My soul thirsts for God" (42:2).
• Derision—"My foes taunt me, ...'Where is your God?'" (42:3,10)
• Oppression—"Rescue me from deceitful and wicked men" (43:1).
• Abandonment—"Why have You rejected me?" (43:2)
• Nostalgia—"I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to
  the house of God" (42:4).

When a Jeep becomes trapped in a quagmire, you need to pull out the winch
cable, attach it to a sturdy tree or rock, and turn on the winch. At first,
the little winch may not appear equal to the task of tugging your big vehicle
from the clutches of the mud, but it pulls and pulls—steadily,
powerfully—until your Jeep is rescued and rolling again.

Ps. 42 and Ps. 43 are like that winch—capable of pulling you from the mud of
loneliness. The Lord indeed will rescue you, when by faith you grasp hold of
promises like these.

• "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God"
  (42:11).
• By day the LORD directs His love, at night His song is with me—a prayer
  to the God of my life" (42:8).
• Send forth Your light and Your truth, let them guide me; let them bring
  me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You dwell" (43:3).
  

1. When have you felt isolated or abandoned due to your commitment to the
   Gospel? Can you identify with the feelings expressed in these psalms?
2. How often do witnessing Christians feel rejected for expressing their
   faith? How often are missionaries homesick? How free do we feel to express
   our hurts and weaknesses to others?
3. How do the promises in Ps. 42-43 address your personal situation?