Psalm 42
A Basic Outline
A description of spiritual thirst, 1-2
…as the deer pants..so my soul pants…
…my soul thirsts..when shall I come…
A description of spiritual pain, 3-4
…my tears have been my food…
…I pour out my soul within me…
Psalmist addresses his self, 5
…why are you cast down…
…why are you disquieted…
…hope in God…
…(reason-I shall yet praise for His help…)
Description of spiritual condition & response, 6-7
…my soul is cast down… (condition)
…therefore I will remember You… (action)
…from land.. heights of.. hill Mizar.. (location)
…deep calls to deep… (action)
…at the noise of…Your waves have (occasion)
The Lord’s faithful but still future response,8
…the Lord will command His lovingkindness…
…in the daytime (during my walking around)
…in the night (during my lying down)
…His song shall be with me (His comfort)
Psalmist’s Request (from place of confusion & pain), 9-10
…why have You forgotten me…
…why do I go mourning…
…as with the breaking of bones (type of pain)
…my enemies reproach me, while they say…
Psalmist addresses his self, 11
…why are you cast down…
…why are you disquieted…
…hope in God…
…(reason-I shall yet praise for His help…)
What sticks out?
Psalmist sane approach in the midst of his depression in verses 6-7.
Where does it make a difference?
I can relate to the spiritual ache. Will I commit to the same spiritual response? Will I counsel my soul with the truth of verse 5? Will I choose to hope in my hopelessness? Will I focus my mind on You when I feel distant? Will I feed on Your faithfulness?
What sticks out?
V8. His lovingkindness will be with me in the day and His comfort in the night.
What difference does this make?
Now is a time for confidence…even while my soul pants & while I cry out from my faraway place. “His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
It’s gonna be okay.
What sticks out?
The flow from v8 thru v11. The confidence of v8 and v11 in spite of the pain and confusion of v9-10.
What difference does it make?
I want to be like that even in the midst of that. I want to talk like v11 even when I’m experiencing v9-10. I want to trust You for the deliverance even as I wait for its arrival. I can’t see the train nor can I hear it but I trust that it will come. There are so many things in life that I quietly trust to be faithful… planes, trains, automobiles. But I wonder about God’s faithfulness… because of my confusing or painful circumstances.