A Way Through Pain

Psalm 43 stands against the ad line, “Pain is a waste of time,” because the text lets God define the good life. God does not define life as getting what a person wants when that person wants it. Jesus names eternal life as knowing the Father and Jesus Christ whom the Father sent, and Romans 8 names the highest good as being conformed to the image of the Son. Psalm 43 shows that pain may be one of the ways God gets his people to the good life they actually need, the life of knowing Christ, sharing in his sufferings, and finding him as exceeding joy.

Psalm 43 gives the prayer of a man who is far from the house of God and trapped under the oppression of enemies. Psalm 42 sheds light on that ache, because the psalmist longs to be near God, in the presence of God, with the people of God. The text presses the question beneath every painful circumstance: does the heart want God himself, or does the heart only want the pain to go away?

The prayer begins with the real person before the real God. The psalmist feels attacked, accused, desperate, abandoned, and discouraged, so he does not dress up his words. The Psalms give that kind of language because the Holy Spirit lets needy children come with “runny noses and all.” The text says prayer can start at the red dot on the map: “You are here.”

The psalmist also talks to the real God, not the God he wishes he had. God is refuge, yet the psalmist feels rejected. That tension forces the heart to choose whether God is lying or whether God is being refuge in a way that is not expected. The prayer collapses back into the only safe place: “Where else can I go? Only you have the words of eternal life.”

Psalm 43 then asks for a rescue party: “Send out your light and your truth.” God’s light and truth lead through the fog, past the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and back toward God’s holy hill, dwelling, altar, and presence. The altar shows that the hurting person is not only sinned against, but also a sinner who has harmed others and hated God. The cross becomes the true altar where Christ, the spotless Lamb, removes the greatest roadblock to the good life.

Verse 5 turns from prayer to preaching. The soul is told to get up and walk: “Hope in God.” Christ, the exceeding joy, now lives in his people by the Holy Spirit, so for every one look at pain, loss, or sin, the soul is called to take ten looks at Jesus.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Pain is not wasted time [05:07] God does not treat suffering as an interruption to real life. God often uses pain to expose what the heart is calling “the good life,” and then turns the heart toward the only good life that lasts. Pain may not leave quickly, but pain can become the road back to knowing Christ more deeply. [05:07]
• 2. Start with the real you [12:16] The Psalms give permission for honest prayer that begins with confusion, accusation, desperation, and mourning. God does not require polished words before giving mercy. The red dot on the map matters, because the soul cannot be led home while pretending it is somewhere else. [12:16]
• 3. Let light and truth find [20:48] The psalmist does not merely ask for the pain to stop. The psalmist asks God to send light and truth like a search party into the fog. God’s rescue is not just changed circumstances, but clear sight of who he is and where joy is found. [20:48]
• 4. The cross clears the fog [28:08] The altar reveals that suffering people are also sinners who need mercy. The cross shows both the fury of God’s wrath against sin and the depth of God’s love for sinners. At the cross, abandonment is answered by adoption, and accusation is answered by vindication in Christ. [28:08]
• 5. Take ten looks at Christ [34:57] Hope in God is not vague optimism or emotional denial. Hope learns to look away from the self without ignoring the self, taking one honest look at pain and ten long looks at Christ. The soul is steadied by the sweetness, majesty, meekness, and grace of Jesus. [34:57]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:39] - Pain Is a Waste of Time?
• [03:57] - God Defines the Good Life
• [06:00] - Psalm 43 and Praying Through Pain
• [08:25] - Pray First, Then Preach
• [09:40] - Start With the Real You
• [14:14] - Talk to the Real God
• [20:23] - Send Out Light and Truth
• [21:44] - Walk in Real Repentance
• [25:00] - The Altar and Exceeding Joy
• [28:08] - The Cross Clears the Fog
• [30:17] - Is God Enough?
• [33:31] - Tell the Soul to Walk
• [34:34] - Ten Looks at Christ

1. In Psalm 43, what different troubles does the psalmist describe, and what words show both his pain and his trust in God? [09:40]
2. What does the psalmist specifically ask God to send out, and where does he want that light and truth to lead him? [20:23]
3. What places or images stand out in verses 3–4—holy hill, dwelling, altar, exceeding joy—and what do they show the psalmist wants most? [25:00]
4. In verse 5, how does the psalm shift from speaking to God to speaking to the soul, and what does the psalmist tell his soul to do? [33:31]

1. Psalm 43 begins with both “you are the God in whom I take refuge” and “why have you rejected me?” What does that tension reveal about how faith can speak when God feels far away? [14:14]
2. The request is not only for relief, but for God to send out “light” and “truth.” Why might light and truth be a deeper need than changed circumstances alone when someone is suffering? [20:48]
3. The altar stands on the way back to joy. How does that image help explain that a suffering person is not only wounded by others, but also needs mercy for personal sin? [21:44]
4. “Hope in God” is spoken to a cast-down soul. What does that suggest about the difference between biblical hope and pretending everything is fine? [34:34]

1. When pain enters life, what does the heart usually want most: for the pain to stop, or for God himself? How can that difference begin to show up in prayer this week? [06:00]
2. Honest prayer begins with the real person before the real God. What would it look like to stop dressing up prayers and to tell God plainly where the soul really is right now? [12:16]
3. Many people know the words “God is refuge,” yet still feel abandoned. Where might that tension be showing up in life right now, and what would it look like to keep going to God instead of pulling away from him? [14:14]
4. “Send out your light and your truth” is a good prayer for foggy seasons. In what area of life is there the most confusion, accusation, or spiritual fog right now? What kind of light and truth is needed there? [20:48]
5. The way back to “exceeding joy” runs through the altar, and the cross clears the greatest barrier between sinners and God. Where is there a need not only for comfort, but also for repentance and fresh confidence in Christ’s forgiveness? [28:08]
6. The soul often needs to be preached to, not merely listened to. What truths from Psalm 43 would be worth saying out loud to a discouraged heart this week? [33:31]
7. For every one look at pain, loss, or sin, the soul needs many looks at Christ. What practical habits could help that happen in daily life—Scripture, prayer, worship, talking with another believer, or something else? [34:57]