Why, my soul, are you downcast? . . . Put your hope in God. Psalm 43:5
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” based on an 1863 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is a truly unusual Christmas song. Instead of the expected Christmas joy and mirth, the lyric forms a lament, crying out, “And in despair I bowed my head / There is no peace on earth I said / For hate is strong and mocks the song / Of peace on earth, good will to men.” This lament, however, moves forward into hope, reassuring us that “God is not dead, nor does he sleep / The wrong shall fail, the right prevail / With peace on earth goodwill toward men.”
The pattern of hope rising out of lament is also found in the lament psalms of the Bible. As such, Psalm 43 begins with the psalmist crying out about his enemies who attack him (v. 1) and his God who seems to have forgotten him (v. 2). But the singer doesn’t stay in lament—he looks up to the God he doesn’t fully understand but still trusts, singing, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5).
Life is filled with reasons for lament, and we all experience them on a regular basis. But, if we allow that lament to point us to the God of hope, we can sing joyfully—even if we sing through our tears.
1 Vindicate me, my God,
and plead my causeq
against an unfaithful nation.
Rescue mer from those who are
deceitful and wicked.s
Why have you rejectedt me?
Why must I go about mourning,u
oppressed by the enemy?v
3 Send me your lightw and your faithful care,x
let them lead me;y
let them bring me to your holy mountain,z
to the place where you dwell.a
4 Then I will gob to the altarc of God,
to God, my joyd and my delight.e
I will praise you with the lyre,f
O God, my God.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.g
INSIGHT
- What concerns are you experiencing in this moment?
- From the testimony of Scripture, how can God offer you hope in this season of life?
The book of Psalms is Israel’s official hymnbook. It consists of 150 songs written over a thousand-year period by several composers, including Moses, David, Solomon, Asaph, and the sons of Korah. Used in individual and corporate worship, these songs are variously categorized as thanksgiving, praise, imprecatory, messianic, kingship, wisdom, and lament psalms. Psalm 43 falls into the category of a lament psalm. These songs express cries to God for deliverance and help in times of suffering, discouragement, disappointment, distress, and abandonment. In many Hebrew manuscripts, Psalms 42 and 43 are combined as one song. In a series of psalms composed by the sons of Korah (Psalms 42–49), Psalm 43 is the only one with no title, suggesting that it belongs with Psalm 42. The refrain “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (43:5) is also found in 42:5 and 42:11.
PRAYER
I cry to You, Father, as I struggle under the burdens of life. Remind me that my help comes from above, from the Maker of heaven and earth. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 43 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Hosea 9-11; Revelation 3