Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me.Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
3 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? …
5. That hope and comfort are renewed to them on the slaying of the troubler. 1. It is often the case that Christians are under darkness, and their hope is greatly clouded. God is wont to give his saints hope and comfort at their first conversion, which sometimes remains without any great interruption for a considerable time. And some Christians live abundantly more in the light than others. Some for many years together have but little darkness. God is pleased to distinguish them from their neighbours. He mercifully keeps them from those occasions of darkness, into which he suffers others to fall, and gives them of the light of his countenance. God exercises his sovereignty in this matter, as he does in giving converting grace: as he bestows that on whom he pleases, so he bestows on some of those who are converted more light, on others less, according as it pleases him. But many Christians meet with a great deal of darkness, and see times in which their hopes are much clouded. Sometimes the sweet and comfortable influences of God’s Spirit are withdrawn. They were wont to have spiritual discoveries made of God and Christ to their souls, but now they have none. Their minds seem to be darkened, and they cannot see spiritual things, as they have done in times past. Formerly, when they read the Scriptures, they used often to have light come in, and they seemed to have an understanding and relish for what they read, and were filled with comfort. But now when they read, it is all a dead letter, and they have no taste for it, and are obliged to force themselves to read; they seem to have no pleasure in it, but it is a mere task and burden. Formerly they used to have passages of Scripture come to their minds, when they were not reading, which brought much light and sweetness with them. But now they have none. Formerly they used to feel the sweet exercises of grace. They could trust in God, and could find a spirit of resignation to his will, and had love drawn forth, and sweet longings after God and Christ, and a sweet complacence in God; but now they are dull and dead. Formerly they used to meet with God in the ordinances of his house: it was sweet to sit and hear the word preached, and it seemed to bring light and life with it; they used to feel life and sweetness in public prayers, and their hearts were elevated in singing God’s praises. But now it is otherwise. Formerly they used to delight in the duty of prayer: the time which they spent in their closet between God and their own souls was sweet to them. But now when they go thither, they do not meet God; and they take no delight in drawing near to God in their closets. When they do pray, it seems to be a mere lifeless, heartless performance. They utter such and such words, but they seem to be nothing but words; their hearts are not engaged. Their minds are continually wandering and going to and fro, after one vanity and another. With this decay of the exercise of grace their hope greatly decays; and the evidences of their piety are exceedingly clouded. When they look into their hearts, it seems to them that they can see nothing there, from which they should hope; and when they consider after what manner they live, it seems to them to argue, that they have no grace. They have but little of any thing which is new, to furnish comfortable evidence to them of their good estate; and as to their old evidences, they are greatly darkened. Their former experience, in which they took great comfort, looks dim, and a great way off, and out of sight to them. They have almost forgotten it, and have no pleasure in thinking or speaking of it. And sometimes true Christians are brought into terrible distress. They are not only deprived of their former comforts, and have their former hopes obscured, but they have inward distressing darkness. God does not only hide his face, but they have a sense of his anger. He seems to frown upon them. So it appears to have been with David. Ps. xlii. 7. “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts; all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.” So with Heman. Ps. lxxxviii. 6, 7. “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.” …