Psalm 42: Refreshing a Downcast Soul

Psalm 42:

The New King James Version (Psalm 42)

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation of the Sons of Korah.

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me,“Where is your God?”

4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, And from the heights of Hermon, From the Hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my Rock,“Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a breaking of my bones, My enemies reproach me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

Notes:

v1: Call out to God

v2 - 3: Dialog with self, admitting feelings, confronting outside influence

v4: REMEMBER!

v5: Dialog with self, act on what you remember: Hope on GOD!

v6: Commitment to God to remember

v7: let’s circle back to this in a minute

v8: How David remembers the LORD’s help and how it will come through

v9: Honesty with God

v10: Honest about painful reproaches of the enemy

v11: Rebuke? own soul, way out: a) Hope in God, b) resolution to praise Him, c) Remember WHO HE IS, (literally: the salvation of my face)

v7:

noise/

thunder: (qol): sound 26%, voice 60%, seems to depend a lot on the context

waterfalls: pipe, spout conduit

breakers: surf, breaking of waves

waves: also basin, bowl, spring

pass over: Like God’s Glory in Ex 33:22, 1 Ki 19 Elijah

So what if this is not a life threatening situation, but memories of a spiritual experience during worship, during which the psalmist experienced God’s presence like a life-giving river that washed troubles away, helped Him to experience that quiet water that he also describes in Psalm 23.

My encouragement for today is:

let’s hold on to those memories of God’s closeness, His washing us with His Word, his renewing us

at the same time

Let’s expect it again!

Let’s continue to be hungry for more of HIS presence to experience His healing, comfort, encouragement again or for the first time