"My God of Bliss"

[Psalm 43]

According to Pastor Charles Swindoll, there are three main factors today that most seriously steal our joy: first, worry; second, stress; and third, fear. While they may seem similar, there are clear differences between them.

First, worry is "an unreasonable concern about something that might happen." While waiting for the outcome of a situation, worry gradually erodes joy like acid.

Second, stress is more serious than worry. Stress is "a feeling of tension over situations we cannot change or control, things that are outside of our control." Instead of handing our problems over to God, we stir up unrest in our hearts. As the inner turmoil continues, stress builds up.

Finally, fear is more serious than worry or stress. It is the terrifying sense of instability felt in the face of danger, misfortune, or pain. Like worry and stress, fear exaggerates the reality of the situation. To be free from these joy-stealing factors, what we can do is have faith (Swindoll).

How about us? Are we overcoming these three elements—worry, stress, and fear—that rob us of our joy through faith? We must overcome them by faith in God’s Word. Specifically, let’s all hold onto the verse from Zephaniah 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty One who will save. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” We must overcome worry, stress, and fear by believing that our Heavenly Father cannot contain His joy over us. By looking at God, who rejoices and sings over us, we must strip off all the worry, stress, and fear from within us and put on the garment of joy (the fruit of the Spirit, which is joy) that God gives us.

In today’s Bible passage, Psalm 43:4, the psalmist confesses that God is “my God of bliss.” Here, "my God of bliss" can be literally translated as "the God of my joy." Why did the psalmist consider God his ultimate joy? I want to find three reasons for this in the passage today. In doing so, I hope that we too will become people who make God our ultimate joy.

The first reason the psalmist made God his ultimate joy is that the Lord is his Savior.

Psalm 43:1: "Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation; deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man."

In Acts 12:1-19, we read about the story of the Lord rescuing the Apostle Peter from prison. Even though King Herod had made sure that Peter was heavily guarded, all the chains, soldiers, prison, and iron gates were useless in the face of the Lord’s saving power. The Lord freed Peter from the "expectations" of King Herod and the unbelieving Jews (Acts 12:11). The Lord heard and answered the prayers of the church and saved Peter. Of course, the church's prayers, though earnest, continuous, and prayed together, might not have been prayers of perfect faith, yet the Lord, according to His sovereign will, accomplished the salvation of Peter.

So, after experiencing God's gracious salvation, what can we boast of? Can we present our prayers as a merit before God? Is there anything that we can claim before God regarding His sovereign work of salvation? Therefore, as those who have experienced the grace of God's salvation, we should confess the chorus of Hymn 474: “It is by the grace of Jesus' salvation, that I am truly glad and joyful. I will enjoy that grace forever, and soon I will rest in peace.” Truly, as the hymn says, in this world, there are many burdens, many struggles, and many sins. Living in such a world, it is not easy to enjoy true peace, and there are often no days of rest. Moreover, living in a world filled with reasons to die, we can still rest in peace because of the grace of Jesus’ salvation. Because of this, we can rejoice and be glad in God, our Savior.

In today's passage, the psalmist is bringing a lawsuit before God in prayer. In verse 1, he describes who he is accusing with two phrases: the first phrase is "the ungodly nation." This means "a merciless nation," and according to John Calvin, it refers to "the pagan unbelief that persecuted David under Saul and his reign" (as interpreted by Park Yun-seon). The second phrase is "the deceitful and unjust man." The psalmist brings his case before the just God against these ruthless evil men. He pleads with God to deliver him from such wicked individuals.

The reason we rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ is that He is our Savior. He saved us—who were once ungodly, deceitful, and unjust—through His death on the cross and His resurrection. Therefore, we have the joy of salvation. This Savior, who is with us, hears our prayers and responds by granting us the grace of salvation, even amid unforeseen challenges and difficulties in life. Therefore, we have continuous joy in our salvation. The God who rescues us will show His justice today and tomorrow, delivering us from this evil world and continuing to rescue us. Therefore, we can rejoice and be glad because of our God of salvation.

The second reason the psalmist made God his greatest joy is because the Lord is his strength.

Let’s look at Psalm 43:2: “You are the God of my strength, why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” The psalmist, in his sorrow and pain due to the oppression and persecution of ungodly and faithless people, expresses his honest feelings to God, wondering why He has forsaken him. In the phrases “why... why...” we can somewhat feel the psalmist’s earnestness. In the midst of intense suffering, it seems natural to ask God “why” (or “why me?”). When enduring the oppression of enemies, we might also feel abandoned by God and ask the same question: “Why?” However, in this passage, the psalmist's question is not so much an expression of complaint but rather a prayer coming from a firm belief as if he has already received God’s answer (as interpreted by Park Yun-seon).

We can discern this by the word “strength”. In the Korean Bible, it’s written as 힘 (strength), and in English, it’s translated as “strength”. The Hebrew word “ma'oz” actually means “refuge” (according to Park Yun-seon). The psalmist, relying on the Lord as his refuge, prays, “Why have You rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” Even though he felt forsaken by God due to his suffering, the psalmist knew that God was his refuge, and because of this, he found the strength to flee to God for help.

We too, like the psalmist, sometimes ask “Why?” or “Why me?”, especially when we’re suffering through adversity and can’t bear the pain. In these moments, we may find ourselves nestled in the Lord's arms, who is our refuge, and ask the question “Why?” The psalmist’s soul was in despair and anxiety when he was suffering under the hands of the wicked and unjust (verse 5). But when he turned his eyes toward God, he was revived by the strength that God provided. This reminds me of Psalm 18:1, which we’ve already meditated on: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength.” In our journey of faith, when we come to realize our utter weakness and helplessness, we find renewed strength as we trust in the Lord, who is our Rock, Fortress, Refuge, and Stronghold. He enables us to rise again, soaring like eagles in the sky. Therefore, the psalmist rejoiced in the Lord and was glad.

Finally, the third reason the psalmist made God his greatest joy is because the Lord is his guide.

Look at Psalm 43:3: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” The psalmist, when he was discouraged and anxious due to the deceitful and unjust actions of his enemies, looked to the guiding light of the Lord even in the darkness of his heart. Is this possible? When we are going through the tunnel of pain, it often feels like the end of the darkness is nowhere in sight, and we become discouraged and anxious, sometimes even on the verge of giving up. The frightening thing is that, as we grow accustomed to that darkness, we can lose the ability to see the light. Without God's grace, we lose even the strength (or faith) to hope for the light in the midst of the darkness. Only when God grants us grace can we look to the Lord, who is the light, and by His guidance, come out of the darkness.

What does it mean to be led by “your truth” mentioned here? This truth refers to the faithfulness of God's promise to surely protect His saints (according to Park Yun-seon). In other words, the psalmist longed for the guidance of the Lord, who is the light, while he was in the dark tunnel of his suffering. Particularly, he relied on the Lord's faithfulness to seek that guidance. He prayed that the Lord, who is both the light and the truth, would lead him to His holy hill and dwelling (v. 3). Therefore, he desired to dwell in the presence of the Lord.

This reminds me of Jonah 2:4: “I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’” The prophet Jonah, having disobeyed God's command, ended up in the “deep” (v. 3) inside the fish, but by looking again toward the temple of the Lord, he was saved. That is why he confessed, “Salvation comes from the LORD” (v. 9). The God of salvation, who is our refuge, gives us new strength and continues to guide us toward the promised land, that high place.

The God of infinite joy, who cannot contain His joy because of us, and the God in whom we rejoice, is the one who does not let us become discouraged or anxious. On the contrary, we long for God. And when we do, we have hope. This is the hope of salvation. Therefore, we should rejoice and be glad in God, who is our salvation, our strength (refuge), and our guide.

Rejoicing in “my God of infinite joy,”

Pastor James
(Looking to the Lord, my Savior, my Strength, and my Guide)