Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him. Psalm 42:5
During an October vacation, another battle with chronic pain forced me to spend the first few days recovering in our room. My mood became as overcast as the sky. When I finally ventured out to enjoy sightseeing at a nearby lighthouse with my husband, gray clouds blocked much of our view. Still, I snapped a few photos of the shadowy mountains and dull horizon.
Later, disappointed because a downpour tucked us in for the night, I skimmed through our digital pictures. Gasping, I handed my husband the camera. “A rainbow!” Focused on the gloominess earlier, I’d missed out on God refreshing my weary spirit with the unexpected glimpse of hope (Genesis 9:13–16).
Physical or emotional suffering can often drag us down into the depths of despair. Desperate for refreshment, we thirst for reminders of God’s constant presence and infinite power (Psalm 42:1–3). As we recall the countless times God has come through for us and for others in the past, we can trust that our hope is secured in Him no matter how downcast we feel in the moment (vv. 4–6).
When bad attitudes or difficult circumstances dim our vision, God invites us to call on Him, read the Bible, and trust His faithfulness (vv. 7–11). As we seek God, we can rely on Him to help us spot rainbows of hope arched over the darkest days.
For the director of music. A maskilc of the Sons of Korah.
1 As the deerf pants for streams of water,g
so my soul pantsh for you, my God.
2 My soul thirstsi for God, for the living God.j
When can I gok and meet with God?
3 My tearsl have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”m
as I pour out my soul:n
how I used to go to the house of Godo
under the protection of the Mighty Oned
with shouts of joyp and praiseq
among the festive throng.r
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?s
Why so disturbedt within me?
Put your hope in God,u
for I will yet praisev him,
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remembery you
from the land of the Jordan,z
the heights of Hermona—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deepb
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.c
8 By day the Lord directs his love,d
at nighte his songf is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.g
9 I say to God my Rock,h
“Why have you forgotteni me?
Why must I go about mourning,j
10 My bones suffer mortal agonym
as my foes tauntn me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”o
11 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.p
INSIGHT
- When have bad attitudes negatively affected your vision?
- How can you make sure your hope is centered on God?
In Psalm 42, what might the “thirsty deer” imagery picture? Some scholars see it describing a deer being pursued by a hunter, running for its life and desperate for water to continue its flight from danger. Others imagine the deer in a season of drought, also desperate for the water necessary for survival but facing a very different kind of threat. Ultimately, the word picture reminds us that in our own desperate seasons, we’ll only find what we need in God. Only He can truly satisfy us.
PRAYER
Loving God, thank You for refreshing my spirit and turning my plea for mercy into hope-filled praises. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Psalm 42 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 19-20; John 13:21-38
