Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.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 For the help of his countenance.
3 sermons cite this verse
verse 5 of Psalms 42 did you find that 20 minutes ago all right verse 5 why are you cast down oh my soul why are you disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance that last phrase I don't know what it is I forgot to look in new american Standard and some of the others. But there is a translation that I really like. It's the complete Jewish Bible. Instead of for the help of his countenance, it says for the salvation that comes from his presence. So let me read that verse again with that last line because it actually helps. The reason I'm reading this is I am reminded in this scripture, the birthplace of hope in my heart. The place where this tangible sense of the Spirit of God becomes so pronounced in me that the circumstances around me can all shout one thing, but I've got something burning in me that says another. It's that element of hope. …
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. …
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. …