I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? vs2

Our longing for prayer is prayer, so long as we bring our petition before God [vs1-2]. The darkness of our condition leads us to Christ and to God, if we are wise, rather than standing far off.

Perhaps you’ve tried to change your ways, only to fall into a pitiful condition. Your soul is cast down because of weariness and neglect. Temptations, failures, sleepless nights, and sorrows have taken their toll. Cry out like these sons of Korah. Let your pitiful condition get you pity from the throne of grace. Confess in prayer that you cannot pray, and watch Him turn you.

Secondly, we’ve had better days, which make these days so pitiful [vs3-4]. He says, “My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’ I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.” We’ve rejoiced in triumph over Egypt, even singing deeper praises when Babylon turned us loose, but we’ve gone back into the slough of despond, and sin has proven itself formidable. The giants have been left in the land, as thorns in the flesh, and our enemies have iron chariots! We read, “The LORD was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people who were living in the valley because those people had iron chariots [Judges 1:19].” Not one tribe upon entering the Promised Land defeated every adversary, and you and I will learn war all of our days [Judges 3:2]. Happy days give way to sad ones, and salvation’s joy is diminished by darkened nights. We are troubled and perplexed! Worst of all, we’ve had it better.

Will we go back? Are we destined to return to sin? Was our deliverance only a delusion? These things and many like them trouble our soul: Where is the joy we had?

Finally, we are praying to God [vs5-11]! “Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God… The LORD will send His faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night-- a prayer to the God of my life. I will say to God, my rock, ‘Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy's oppression?’" How thankful we are to have the Most High on our side through Jesus Christ - to come confessing sin. In Ezra 9:15, when they failed, they said, “LORD GOD of Israel, You are righteous, for we survive as a remnant today. Here we are before You with our guilt, though no one can stand in Your presence because of this.” We come confessing sin, because no one can stand before God in it: In confession, however, He heals us. What we can’t do, just by confessing and forsaking, He gives us power to do, even to draw near to Him in restored fellowship. Hope isn’t lost, nor is it in self: We have a faithful God through Christ, a Friend: Someone who forgives and pardons.