Meditation: Even in Times of Trouble, Affirming God

06/17/2025
The focus of St. James Presbyterian Church’s weekly 30-minute Prayer Break Gathering is based on one of the scriptures of our PCUSA Daily Lectionary, Psalm 42. Today we will be focusing our thoughts on verse 11.

This psalm begins with one of the most poetic and stirring phrases in all of scripture, speaking to a longing not merely to be with God, but to have our very being watered, nourished, strengthened—to rest fully in God.
Imagine a deer, deep in the forest, seeking water after running and leaping—perhaps in search of food, perhaps in play, or more likely having just outrun a predator. It has survived—living for yet another day. That is how the psalmist begins: with a plea born of survival and desire, wondering when they might again return to the temple, to be in God's presence among the people.
This psalm carries us back and forth—between despair and hope, fear and faith, isolation and the conviction of God's presence. And it does so again and again, phrase by phrase. Our lives are often like that. We move through trials and tribulations, asking aloud, “Where are you, God?”
Yet even in that question, we affirm our faith—by speaking God's name, we affirm that God is.
In doing so, we recall the paths that lead us back to God's presence. We remember, deep in our core, what God has already brought us through. And without even realizing it, by affirming that God is, we begin the miraculous work of kindling the ashes of hope into the fire that will once again fuel our faith.
In longing, the psalmist still claims God as:
the living God,
a God of help,
a God to be remembered,
a God of steadfast love,
a God of life,
a rock,
a God of hope.
If we can name, as affirmations, even one of these truths in the midst of our troubles, we too can be lifted to that final assurance:
God is with us. God hears our prayers. And once again, we shall praise.
For as the deer longs for flowing streams, so does it rejoice—extending its slender neck to drink from cool, refreshing waters, restored to go forward another day.
May our prayers bring us this same relief—today and always.
For what do you pray today, affirming that God is with us, God can do all things, and God will answer?

​

​