Psalms 42:3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
The psalmist had sorrow within, and persecution without, and a Christian sometimes has to eat salt meat. "My tears have been my meat." He finds but very little sweetness or solace in such food as this; yet, after all, there is much in a Christian’s tears. It is a comfort to be able to shed tears of repentance, and tears of longing after God. There are some believers who still have tears for their meat, yet they can say, "Thank God we are not dead if we can weep, we are not utterly left of God, if we can sigh after him; and so, though our tears are salt, they are nourishing to the spirit." "My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?" This is what our enemies always say to us when we are in trouble. This is what Queen Mary said when the Covenanters were obliged to fly to the Highlands. "Where now is John Knox’s God?" But when her French soldiers were afterwards put to the rout by the brave Scots, she found out where God was. This was the taunt at the St. Bartholomew massacre in France. As they stabbed the Protestants the Papists cried, "Where is your God?" What a mercy it is that they do say this, for nothing brings God so soon to his people as the stunts of their enemies. If any man supposes that God has forgotten his people, and therefore insults them thus, God will come to them post-haste to rectify the mistake. "Where is thy God?" He is coming to thee, O Christian; he is near thee now!
Psalms 42:3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
The psalmist had sorrow within, and persecution without, and a Christian sometimes has to eat salt meat. "My tears have been my meat." He finds but very little sweetness or solace in such food as this; yet, after all, there is much in a Christian’s tears. It is a comfort to be able to shed tears of repentance, and tears of longing after God. There are some believers who still have tears for their meat, yet they can say, "Thank God we are not dead if we can weep, we are not utterly left of God, if we can sigh after him; and so, though our tears are salt, they are nourishing to the spirit." "My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, "Where is thy God?" This is what our enemies always say to us when we are in trouble. This is what Queen Mary said when the Covenanters were obliged to fly to the Highlands. "Where now is John Knox’s God?" But when her French soldiers were afterwards put to the rout by the brave Scots, she found out where God was. This was the taunt at the St. Bartholomew massacre in France. As they stabbed the Protestants the Papists cried, "Where is your God?" What a mercy it is that they do say this, for nothing brings God so soon to his people as the stunts of their enemies. If any man supposes that God has forgotten his people, and therefore insults them thus, God will come to them post-haste to rectify the mistake. "Where is thy God?" He is coming to thee, O Christian; he is near thee now!