Psalm 42 - When (Not If)
- Chad Werkhoven
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Feeling downcast is a sign of faith - not the lack of it!
PSALMS BOOK II
Psalms 42–72
Psalm 42
For the director of music. A maskil of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
[This same song continues in Psalm 43]
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Those who do not yet actively experience within themselves
a living faith in Christ or an assured confidence of heart, peace of conscience, a zeal for childlike obedience, and a glorying in God through Christ,
but who nevertheless use the means by which God has promised to work these things in us—
such people
ought not
to be alarmed at the mention of reprobation,
nor to count themselves among the reprobate;
rather they ought to continue diligently in the use of the means,
to desire fervently a time of more abundant grace,
and to wait for it in reverence and humility.
Summary
Today's summary and Dig Deeper are re-posted from April 11, 2025
Psalm 42 reminds you that you can feel assurance even when your doubt is great and your faith is weak. When (not if) you feel down - maybe it's only once and awhile, or maybe it's quite often - the temptation is to question your Christianity, because it seems like those who are truly saved ought not feel that way.
But the psalmists often felt that way, as did so many other pillars of the faith, both in the Bible and throughout history. The psalmist here captures these feelings and expresses them so well in words (as he so often does, having been inspired by the Holy Spirit!):
My tears have been my food
My soul is downcast and disturbed
Why has God forgotten me?
[God's] waves and breakers have swept over me
I go about mourning and oppressed
My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me
Fear, depression, anxiety, loneliness, doubt and mourning are part of life in our fallen and broken world. Certainly some people experience them more than others, but nobody can avoid these feelings altogether - not even strong Christians.
Psalm 42 is the first psalm in the second of the four books the Psalter is divided into. This puts this psalm in an important position, because the first psalm in each book sets the tone for those that follow it. And the tone of Psalm 42 is crystal clear: when (not if) you struggle, you can put your hope in God (even when you're doubting and upset with Him!).
Dig Deeper
Nobody after reading (or better yet, singing) Psalm 42 thinks, 'wow, how depressing!' Quite the opposite. The psalm's refrain captures the deep optimism the psalmist had even in the midst of his trouble:
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
(Psalm 42:5, 11 / 43:5)
There's a tremendous irony expressed in Psalm 42: the reason the psalmist experiences such deep pain is because He knows so well how things ought to be for those who belong to the living God! In other words, it's because he's experienced God's light that he realizes just how painfully dark the world can be. But darkness seems normal for those who have never seen light.
But the psalmist has assurance as he walks through the dark valley that drove him to express these thoughts, which comes from his deep and longing desire to fully experience God:
My soul pants & thirsts for you, my God
Where can I go and meet with God?
I remember... the house of God
Part of the reason that even as a Christian you experience such deep lows is because you so intensely miss feeling God's presence in your life! When you walk through the valley and feel the way the psalmist often felt, follow the Canon's advice: Continue to use the means [preaching, sacraments & discipline] by which God has promised to work His grace into your life as you desire fervently a time of more abundant grace, and wait for it in reverence and humility.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, our Savior and our God, in whom we put our hope;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you'll be reminded that whatever your present circumstances, the day will come in which you will again praise Him;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
