Have you ever thought of yourself as a preacher? Not the kind that stands in a pulpit on Sunday mornings, but the kind that speaks the truth in love to those who need to hear it? There’s no one I know who needs to hear the truth in love more than my own sin-sick self. Therefore I find the need to constantly preach the truth to my soul.
Feelings and circumstances change but the truth of the gospel does not. It is our constant hope in our ever-changing world. I am fickle and my emotions can get the better of me. Because of this, I need to preach to my own soul about the goodness and constancy of God. I need to hear the truth over and over again.
This Friday Morning’s verse finds the Psalmist preaching to his soul, a good practice for those of us who so quickly forget the truth (and that’s all of us!). In the middle of his lament, the Psalmist preaches to himself the same words, three different times. We’ll be using the Inductive method of study to take a look at the Psalmist’s words and learn from his soul-preaching techniques.
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
Psalm 42:11
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
Context
The Psalms express every human emotion that the people of God experience as they walk with the Lord on earth. Psalm 42 is a lament. The Psalmist is far from the temple of God in Jerusalem and is therefore feeling far from God’s presence. Throughout the Psalm he expresses his longing to be near God. The refrain we will be looking at in this Psalm appears first in verse 5, then again in verse 11, and a third time in Psalm 43 verse 5. In fact, Psalm 42 and 43 are seen as two parts of the same Psalm.
We know this Psalm was written by the Sons of Korah (of the tribe of the Levites, the priests and keepers of the temple) and was probably sung as part of worship. The purpose of the Psalm is to express the emotions we experience when we feels distant from the presence of God.
Observation – What does it say?
We’re going to zero-in on and observe verse 11 (which is the same as verse 5 and 43:5). The three-time repetition of this verse should cause us to stop and pay attention. Anything that is emphasized in the Scriptures through repetition is worth noting.
The verse begins with two questions that the author is asking his soul (
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?). It then gives a command for his soul to follow (Hope in God) . The line at the end of the verse that reads, “my salvation and my God” is translated, “my Savior and my God” in the NIV. My Reformation Study Bible (ESV) also notes that the original Hebrew reads, “the salvation of my face.” Interestingly, the KJV reads “for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.”
This all points to the idea that the kind of salvation the Psalmist is longing for is one that heals and mends the soul of the sufferer even affecting his very appearance. This kind of salvation is found by drawing near to the presence of God, which is exactly what the Psalmist longs to do.
Interpretation – What does it mean?
I love that the Psalmist questions and gives commands to his soul in this verse. This makes me think of several things:
1. Our emotions do not always equal truth
Our culture tends to get this wrong. We see our feelings as the ultimate truth. Our culture tells us that if we feel very strongly about something, it must therefore be true, and we must act on that truth. The Psalmist paints a different picture.
In the first part of this verse, the Psalmist calls his feelings into question. He doesn’t deny his feelings, he acknowledges them, but he knows his feelings are not pointing him to truth. Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you in turmoil? He knows that if his hope is truly in God, he will not feel cast down and in turmoil for very long. If his hope is truly anchored in his salvation and his God, then his soul can and should feel joy. In essence, he is preaching to himself, “Do not be distressed, the God in whom you place your hope, cares for you!” So although he might feel downcast for the moment, the truth about his salvation in God is ultimately a reason to rejoice.
2. Joy comes with the morning.
The Psalmist does not deny his turmoil, but he reminds his soul that this season of longing and mourning will end, and he will “again praise him, my salvation and my God.” He remembers that the kind of healing salvation that God brings can lift his very countenance.
Psalm 30:5 tells us that “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Our suffering is always temporary. Joy always wins. Our longing to be near the presence of God is always soothed. The Psalmist knows this and he preaches it to his soul.
3. Our souls easily forget
Throughout the course of Psalm 42 and 43, the Psalmist questions his feelings, commands his soul to hope, and reminds himself of promised joy three times. We are a forgetful people, especially in the midst of suffering. Our souls need to be preached to, not once, but repeatedly. We can struggle and lament, we can cry out to God in our pain, but we must come back to repeating to ourselves the truth about our hope. Sorrow does not last, and God offers us a salvation that heals and mends our brokenness.
Application – How should this change me?
I tend to be a worrier. And my soul is most in turmoil in the evenings. Right before bed is when my “what-ifs” tend to haunt me. What if someone I love dies? What if my health fails? What if a tragic accident occurs?
My feelings can overwhelm me and cause me to believe untruths. Namely the untruths that God doesn’t love me, God isn’t good, or God isn’t in control. I cannot let my feelings dictate what I believe to be true. Just like the Psalmist, I must question my feelings. Why are you cast down, O my soul? Do you not know that your God loves you? Do you not believe that your God is only ever good to you? Do you not trust that your God is in complete control?
I must then command my soul to hope in the Lord. There is no greater hope than to believe that Christ came and died on my behalf to bring me unblemished into the presence of God, the source of all joy and happiness. And then I look forward to his return when all feelings of turmoil will cease and my soul will never stop singing his praises. I must remind myself repeatedly that, for those who are in Christ, joy always follows feelings of turmoil.
Question your feelings. Preach to your soul. Remind yourself of the hope we have in Christ. And joy will come in the morning.
Prayer
Father, thank you for being our source of joy and hope. Thank you that we can find salvation and healing in your presence. Praise you for providing a way for us to enter your presence through the blood of Christ.
Forgive me for trusting my feelings to tell me the truth. Forgive me for forgetting your goodness. Help me to preach to my soul and remind myself of the abiding hope that I have in you.
In Christ’s name, Amen.
Questions for Discussion
- Can you think of a time when your feelings caused you to believe something that was not true? Tell about that time.
- What kind of things do you preach to your soul? What sweet truths do you like to remind yourself of?
Leave a comment with your answer below!