Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
4 sermons cite this verse
I was at a funeral a couple of months ago, and I heard a pastor say on that occasion that there are two ways that the Bible speaks. Most of the time, the Bible speaks to us. That is, instructing us, exhorting us, teaching us. But there are times in our lives where the Bible speaks for us as well, discerning our hearts and drawing out the hidden depths of our emotions and our feelings and psalm 42 is is much like that you can probably feel it as you read it it speaks to us in many respects but it can also speak for us as well it's a psalm that's written by a troubled soul for other troubled souls and that's the theme of the sermon this morning, a troubled soul. Now, you might be here and you might be thinking, well, you know, it's Easter season, it's springtime, and we have our spring luncheon after the service today. The masters are going on. That theme of troubled soul doesn't quite seem to fit this morning, or maybe it doesn't even quite fit my season of life right now. I really don't have a troubled soul, I would say. …
I think the most beautiful thing right off the bat about Psalm 42 today, talking about hope in the dark, is that this psalm is telling us today that it's okay to be in a struggle with mental illness. There's no shame in struggling with mental illness. There may have been some times in the past where no one would say that they were depressed or that they had anxiety or that they were having a mental struggle or that they were thinking about taking their life. But fortunately, we're moving into a place where the stigma is being lifted and people can talk about what the psalmist is talking about. And he says it two ways exactly the same in this psalm. He says, why are you downcast soul? The meaning there behind the word is that the weight of what the psalmist is experiencing has pulled him down. And even more than pulled him down has began to depress him. And then he uses this word, why, my soul, are you so disturbed within me? …
Some people have a hope, but they do not know where they get it from, nor do they know a reason for it. When some people die, you hear it said, "I hope, I hope he is gone to Heaven." Well, I wish he may have gone, but I dare not say of some that I hope so, because hope must have a reason. An anchor is of no use without its barb. It must be able to hold fast. It must have, at any rate, the modern anchor—some weight about it with which it can hold to the bottom. Hope must have its barb, too! It must have its reason, it must have its weight. If I say I hope such-and-such, I am foolish for hoping it if I have not a reason for hoping. If you were to say you hoped the person sitting next to you would give you a thousand pounder, it would be a most absurd hope! You may wish it if you like, but what ground have you for the hope? But if somebody owes you a thousand pounds and you have his acknowledgement of the debt, you may then very well say that you hope it will be paid, for you have a legitimate right to expect it. Such is the Christian's hope! God has promised to save those who believe. Lord, I believe You—You have promised to save me, and I hope you will—I knowYou will! The Christian's hope is not a fancy, not a silly desire. It did not spring up in the night, like Jonah's gourd, and it will not wither in a night. The Christian's hope is something that will bear a crack from a club, or a cut from a sharp sword. It is made of good metal. John Bunyan said of a certain sword that it was "a true Jerusalem blade"—and I may call this a true Jerusalem helmet and he that wears it need not fear! …
Observe that she did not tamely yield to her infirmity without effort. The expression, "She could in no wise l ift herself up"—an old Saxon form of saying, "She could in no ways lift herself up"—shows, as I have said before, that she had tried her best. I believe some of you might stand upright if you liked. I am quite certain that in some cases, people get into the way of surrendering to depression until at last they become powerless against it. Some stimulant is given them in the form of a sick husband, or a dying child and they grow quite cheerful. Under some real trouble, they become patient, but when this real trouble is taken away, they begin manufacturing troubles of their own. They are never happy, I might almost say, except when they are miserable—and never cheerful except when they have something to cast them down! If they have a real trouble, they get strength to bear it, but at other times, they are morbidly troubled in spirit. Now, let us imitate this woman and shake off our doubts and our unbelief as much as possible. Let us strike up the hymn— "Begone, unbelief, my Savor is near! And for my relief will surely appear. By prayer let me wrestle, and He will perform, With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm!" Let us say, with David, "Why are you cast down, O my Soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope you in God, for I shall yet praise Him." Do not so soon yield to the shafts of unbelief. Hold up the shield of faith and say to your soul, "No, as the Lord lives, who is the Rock of my salvation, my castle and my high tower, my weapon of defense and my glory, I will not yield to unbelief. Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. And though all things go against me, yet will I stay myself upon the mighty God of Jacob, and I will not fear." The woman, then, had done her best. …