June 22, 2025
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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Do you talk to yourself? Or, better, do you preach the gospel to your own heart? This is what we find the psalmist doing in Psalm 42. Notice the psalm begins with a desperate situation. "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." First, a deer panting for water is in a desperate situation. Its very life depends on finding water. That is, we should not see in this psalm some dreamy and idyllic scene of a deer frolicking in the meadows. In truth the situation is very dire. And such a dire and desperate situation is the one the psalmist finds as a fitting metaphor for his thirst for God. The psalmist is desperately searching for God, but he does not feel that God is near. Thus "My tears have been my food day and night…"
But notice what the psalmist does. He talks to himself. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." Ironically, thirsting after God may leave us thirsty. For if the psalmist did not thirst after God, he would not be seeking God. And if God quickly quenched his thirst, he would not be thirsty and desperate. This undeniable tension between longing and deferred hope can cast our souls into turmoil. We should never think seeking God's face means an instant eradication of inner struggles. But neither is discipleship hopeless. The psalmist preaches the gospel to his own heart, and we see the psalm changing its tone.
"Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life." It is a stunning change, going from the parched and dry land where the deer could not find water to being submerged and overwhelmed by a mighty torrent of water that is God's "steadfast love." Appropriately, the psalm ends with "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God."
Preach the gospel to your own heart. Hope deferred does not mean hope denied. Every day a thousand different voices taunt our souls and doubt and fear nag in our ears. Perhaps more than ever in human history we are keenly aware of how the food we put into our body dictates our health. We should be just as wise and realize the voices and the thoughts we listen to also determine the shape of our souls. We need to preach the gospel to our own hearts so that the roar of the waterfalls of God's faithfulness drown out all other noises.
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Growth Resources
This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
In June we are reading "How People Change" by Timothy Lane and Paul Tripp..
This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Q. 25.
Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.
Upcoming Events and Notices
June 22 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” Ch. 52 “Human Depravity.”
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).