I Will Still Praise Him

Psalm 42:5-11

ETS: The Psalmist praised God amidst the distance from God and the physical opposition and hardship.

ESS: We should praise God even amidst difficult circumstances.

OSS: [MO: Devotional] {SO: I want the hearers to worship God even amidst depression, distance, and difficulty.}

PQ: How can we relate to the Psalmist?

UW: Ways

Intro.: Today, some of us come depressed, lonely, distant from God, angry at life, and dealing with difficult life circumstances. In moments like these, so often we lose focus. So often, we focus on our problems and the storms of life more than we focus on our God. Sean Curran released a song in 2020 titled, “All Praise.” The bridge of the song is this, “Why should my heart grow weary? And don't be so downcast, oh my soul You are in every moment You are my greatest miracle.” In this song, Sean echoes the words of the Psalmist from Psalm 42.

TS: Let’s examine together a few ways that we relate to the Psalmist:

The Psalmist was distant from God. (vv. 1 and 6b)

The “longing” of v. 1 and the “remembering from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon” tell us that the Psalmist was physically distant from the Lord at this time. (Remember, this is OT, so the Lord’s presence was manifest and associated with the temple; of which, the Psalmist was not close to at the time of writing).

APPLICATION: Maybe not in the same sense, but maybe this morning you come as one who feels distant from God- whether the cause is some sin barrier or something else.

The Psalmist asked “why?” (vv. 5, 9, and 11)

The questioned turned inward, and it begged an answer. Many of us have asked “why?” at some point or another- whether towards ourselves and seeking an answer for our own feelings or towards God and seeking an answer for a situation.

The Psalmist was depressed. (vv. 5-7 and 11)

The language in these verses (dejected [downcast], turmoil, depressed) implies that the Psalmist was depressed.

APPLICATION: Many of us are dejected, in turmoil, and depressed. If not currently, we likely have been at some point.

The Psalmist was oppressed. (vv. 9-10)

These verses suggest that the Psalmist was oppressed and taunted by his adversaries.

APPLICATION: Many of us are oppressed daily, and we feel the pressure and effects of the enemy upon our soul daily.

The Psalmist was committed to praising God. (vv. 5b, 8, 11b)

The Psalmist was committed to praising God even amidst these difficult circumstances.

APPLICATION: May we be committed to praise God regardless of the circumstances surrounding us.

CONCLUSION:

Returning to the song in the introduction, “All Praise,” Sean begins the song with the first verse leading into the chorus which together read, “Every breath, it is a gift Every moment is a treasure; All my past and my regrets; My present and my future; Every table is a feast; Every heartbeat is an altar; Every step a mystery; I am walking with the author; So, I fix my eyes upon You; I fix my eyes upon You (yeah, we fix our eyes upon You, Jesus); I fix my eyes upon You; I fix my eyes (say); All praise, all praise; Heaven bent to meet us; Father, Son, and Spirit; All praise, all praise; God and man together; One with us forevermore”

Furthermore, amidst such a difficult time of persecution and oppression, Corrie Ten Boom penned the famous quote, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed; If you look within, you’ll be depressed; if you look to God, you’ll be at rest.”

Many of us need to re-center our focus upon God and realize again that every breath and moment is a blessing from God. We need to commit to worship God even amidst the distance, the difficulty, the depression, and everything else. What hinders you from committing to praise Him today? ALL praise belongs to Him.