Psalm 42 • My Soul Thirsts for God

Summary

In this teaching on Psalm 42, the speaker emphasizes the significance of communal worship in the Old Testament, contrasting it with the personal relationship with God experienced by Christians today. The psalmist's deep sorrow stems from feeling separated from fellow believers and enduring relentless trials, yet he encourages himself to trust in God's eventual deliverance. The lesson explores how believers, even in the darkest times, should cling to faith and expect God's goodness, grounded in the promise of Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good for those who love God.

Takeaways

• 📖 The speaker introduces the divisions of the Psalms, mentioning that Psalm 42 starts Book 2, covering Psalms 42-72.
• 🙏 The session begins with a prayer, asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they delve into Psalm 42.
• 👥 Psalm 42 reflects the cry of a person separated from communal worship, longing to be back with fellow believers.
• 🏞️ The psalmist in Psalm 42 appears to be located in the northern region of Israel, yearning for Mount Zion and Jerusalem.
• 🎶 The psalmist remembers leading worship with a throng of people, expressing sorrow over being unable to participate in communal worship.
• 🌊 Psalm 42 uses the metaphor of waves crashing to describe the psalmist's feelings of being overwhelmed by troubles and emotions.
• 😞 The psalmist admits to feelings of abandonment, depression, and confusion, questioning why God seems distant during trials.
• 💡 Despite deep emotional turmoil, the psalmist speaks to his soul, encouraging himself to put hope and trust in God.
• 🕊️ In the New Testament, worship becomes decentralized, with Jesus stating that true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth, not tied to specific locations.
• 💪 The speaker encourages those going through hardship to expect God’s deliverance and reminds them of the biblical promise in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good.

Q & A

What is the significance of Psalm 42 in the context of the Psalms' divisions?

Psalm 42 marks the beginning of the second division of the Psalms, which covers from the 42nd to the 72nd Psalm. These divisions are ancient and predate the oldest Old Testament manuscripts, indicating their importance in the structure of the Psalms.

Who is credited with writing Psalm 42 and what is its theme?

Psalm 42 was written by the sons of Korah. The theme revolves around the psalmist's deep longing for God and the communal worship, expressing a sense of separation and a plea for God's presence amidst trials.

What does the phrase 'as a deer pants for flowing streams' in Psalm 42:1 symbolize?

The phrase symbolizes the psalmist's intense thirst and longing for God, comparing it to a deer's desperate need for water, highlighting the depth of the psalmist's spiritual desire.

Why is the location significant in the Old Testament context as discussed in the script?

In the Old Testament, location was crucial for worship as it was centered around the Ark of the Covenant, typically found in the tabernacle or temple in Jerusalem. The psalmist's longing for Mount Zion and Jerusalem reflects this geographical significance.

How does the New Testament perspective on worship differ from the Old Testament as mentioned in the script?

The New Testament presents a decentralized view of worship, emphasizing spiritual connection over geographical location. Believers are considered the temple of the Holy Spirit, and worship can occur wherever two or more are gathered in the name of Jesus.

What is the significance of the question 'where is your God' in the context of Psalm 42?

The question 'where is your God' is posed by adversaries to challenge the psalmist's faith during his trials. It reflects a common doubt that arises when believers face suffering and is a test of their trust in God's presence and power.

What does the psalmist mean when he says 'deep calls to deep' in Psalm 42:7?

The phrase 'deep calls to deep' is a poetic expression of the psalmist's overwhelming feelings of being engulfed by troubles, much like waves crashing over him, indicating a sense of being overwhelmed and drowning in his sorrows.

How does the psalmist address his own feelings of depression in Psalm 42?

The psalmist addresses his feelings of depression by directly speaking to his soul, questioning why it is cast down and in turmoil, and then exhorting it to put its hope in God, expressing a commitment to trust in God's provision despite his emotional state.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 Introduction to Psalm 42 and Beginning of Book 2

The speaker introduces Psalm 42 and explains that it marks the beginning of Book 2 of the Psalms. The divisions of Psalms are ancient, older than the oldest Old Testament manuscripts. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding these divisions and begins with a prayer asking for God’s wisdom and grace during their study. Psalm 42 is attributed to the sons of Korah and expresses a deep spiritual longing, symbolized by the imagery of a deer panting for water, reflecting the psalmist’s soul yearning for God.

05:01

🏞️ Longing for Worship and Reflection on Separation

The psalmist describes his anguish over being separated from communal worship. He reminisces about leading processions to the house of God with joy and celebration. The speaker explains that in the Old Testament, geographical location was crucial for worship, unlike today where worship can happen anywhere. The psalmist feels the pain of being distant from Mount Zion, the central place of worship, and longs to be reunited with fellow believers.

10:02

🏛️ Shift from Physical to Spiritual Worship

The speaker contrasts Old Testament worship, centered around the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem, with New Testament worship, where believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well is highlighted, emphasizing the transition to worship in spirit and truth, regardless of location. The speaker notes that believers today feel connected through Christ, even when worshipping with strangers, unlike the geographically-bound worship of ancient Israel.

15:03

🌊 Overwhelmed by Waves of Trouble and Taunting

The psalmist feels overwhelmed by waves of trouble, comparing his struggles to being engulfed by roaring waterfalls. The imagery portrays a sense of helplessness, as the psalmist feels distant from God and taunted by his adversaries, who ask, 'Where is your God?' The speaker reflects on how suffering often leads to questions about God’s presence and love, especially from unbelievers. Despite knowing where his God is, the psalmist grapples with feelings of abandonment and relentless hardship.

⚡ The Power of Waves and Ongoing Trouble

The speaker uses a personal anecdote about encountering powerful ocean waves to illustrate the psalmist’s experience of being overwhelmed by constant troubles. Just as ocean waves can catch someone off guard, the psalmist feels as though trouble comes in continuous waves, making it hard to regain footing. The speaker empathizes with the feeling of being battered by one difficulty after another, likening it to being tumbled in the surf, losing all sense of direction and stability.

💔 Emotional Turmoil and Cry for Deliverance

The psalmist acknowledges the deep emotional toll of his trials, admitting to feeling abandoned by God. He repeatedly questions why his soul is downcast, struggling with depression and despair. Despite these dark feelings, the psalmist encourages himself to hope in God and anticipates future praise, clinging to his faith that God will deliver him. The speaker highlights the importance of speaking faith over one’s own soul, even when struggling with emotional or spiritual darkness.

🕊️ Encouraging Hope and Trust in God's Deliverance

The psalmist challenges his soul to trust in God, despite overwhelming despair. He expresses a faith-filled expectation that he will once again praise God, declaring God as his salvation. The speaker encourages believers to adopt this same attitude, exhorting one another to expect God’s deliverance, even in the darkest moments. The speaker reinforces this with the promise of Romans 8:28, which assures that all things work together for the good of those who love God, providing a firm foundation for hope.

Keywords

💡Psalm 42

Psalm 42 is the main focus of the video. It is a cry from someone who feels distant from God and disconnected from communal worship. The psalmist expresses deep longing for God, using imagery like a deer thirsting for water, and reflects on feelings of spiritual desolation.

💡Sons of Korah

The Sons of Korah were a group of temple singers in the Old Testament, responsible for composing and performing psalms. In this video, they are identified as the authors of Psalm 42, which deals with themes of separation from God and communal worship.

💡Spiritual separation

Spiritual separation refers to the psalmist's feeling of being cut off from God and the community of worshipers. This concept is central to the psalm, as the speaker is lamenting the inability to worship with fellow believers, creating a sense of isolation and longing.

💡Communal worship

Communal worship in the video refers to the gathering of believers to worship God together. The psalmist reflects on past experiences of leading worship with glad shouts and songs of praise, and expresses sorrow for being unable to participate in these gatherings.

💡Hope in God

This phrase is a key theme in Psalm 42, as the psalmist encourages himself to maintain faith in God despite feelings of despair. The video emphasizes the psalmist’s repeated exhortation to ‘hope in God’ as a way to combat depression and spiritual turmoil.

💡Waves and breakers

The waves and breakers in the psalm symbolize the overwhelming nature of the psalmist's troubles. The video explains how the psalmist feels like they are drowning in their difficulties, comparing their emotional state to being tossed and overwhelmed by relentless waves.

💡Emotional depression

Emotional depression is a core issue addressed in Psalm 42. The psalmist describes feelings of deep despair and sadness, which are expressed through phrases like 'why are you cast down, O my soul?' The video discusses how depression can make life seem overwhelmingly bleak.

💡Temple of the Holy Spirit

In the New Testament, the body of believers is referred to as the temple of the Holy Spirit, a contrast to the Old Testament’s physical temple worship. The video mentions how, under the New Covenant, worship is no longer tied to a physical location but occurs wherever believers gather.

💡Deep calls to deep

This poetic phrase from Psalm 42 expresses the intensity of the psalmist's distress, as if the depth of their suffering is calling out to even greater depths of sorrow. The video discusses this phrase in the context of feeling overwhelmed by wave after wave of trouble.

💡Where is your God?

This mocking question is asked by the psalmist’s adversaries during his time of distress, casting doubt on God's presence. The video highlights how this question reflects a common struggle during times of suffering, when believers may feel abandoned or question God’s closeness.

Highlights

Introduction to Psalm chapter 42 and the transition from Book 1 to Book 2 of the Psalms.

Discussion on the historical divisions of the Psalms and their significance.

Prayer for guidance and insight from the Holy Spirit during the study of Psalm 42.

Psalm 42 is attributed to the sons of Korah, setting the context for the psalm's authorship.

The psalmist's deep longing for God, depicted through the metaphor of a deer longing for water.

Expression of the psalmist's emotional state, with tears as his constant companion.

Reflection on the communal worship experience and the psalmist's yearning to lead in praise.

The geographical and spiritual disconnection of the psalmist from the house of God.

The psalmist's remembrance of joyful worship in contrast to his current state of sorrow.

The challenge of faith when faced with the question 'Where is your God?' during trials.

The psalmist's internal dialogue with his soul, encouraging hope in God despite his circumstances.

The psalmist's recognition of his emotional turmoil and his call to hope in God.

The poetic description of the psalmist's troubles as waves overwhelming him.

The psalmist's admission of feeling forgotten by God amidst his suffering.

The importance of expecting God's deliverance and maintaining faith during times of depression.

The biblical promise in Romans 8:28 as a foundation for expecting God's goodness.

Encouragement to speak faith and expectation to others who are struggling with depression.

Transcripts

Psalm chapter 42 and I want to remind

you of something and I'll put this up on

the screen for you this is the five

divisions of the Psalms which I've been

showing you last week we finished Psalm

chapter 41 which is was the end of book

1 and that now we begin book 2 you know

we're not exactly sure when these

divisions were made in the Psalms but

they are old they're older than our

oldest Old Testament manuscripts

actually and so in other words we find

those book divisions in them and and so

anyway we're beginning this this the

second division which covers the 42nd

through the 72nd Psalm and let us begin

with prayer Heavenly Father as we dig

into your word tonight we'll allow the

ministry of your Holy Spirit to move

mightily among us we give you this time

and we ask you to fill it with your

presence your wisdom and insight and we

ask Lord that your grace would cover our

hearts to be able to receive and apply

in Jesus name Amen

psalm 42 was written by the sons of

korah we're gonna read through it and

you're gonna see why we did one of the

songs that we did tonight verse one as a

deer pants for flowing streams so pants

my soul for you O God my soul thirsts

for God for the Living God when shall I

come and appear before God my tears have

been my food day and night while they

say to me all the day long

where is your God these things I

remember as I pour out my soul how I

would go with the throng and lead them

in procession to the house of God with

glad shouts and songs of praise a

multitude keeping festival why are you

cast down O my soul and why are you in

turmoil within me hope in God for I

shall again

my salvation and my God my soul is cast

down within me therefore I remember you

from the land of Jordan and from Hermon

from Mount Mazar deep calls to deep at

the roar of your waterfalls all your

breakers and your waves have gone over

me by day the Lord commands his

steadfast love and at night his song is

with me a prayer to the god of my life I

say to God my rock why have you

forgotten me why do I go mourning

because of the oppression of the enemy

as with a deadly wound in my bones my

adversaries taunt me while they say to

me all the day long where is your God

why are you cast down O my soul and why

are you in turmoil within me hope in God

for I shall again praise him my

salvation and my god well this is an

interesting Psalm Psalm chapter 42 is

the psalm or I should say a cry in this

Psalm of a man who has been separated

from his fellow believers and from the

communal worship of God it would be kind

of like if you and I were cut off from

the body of Christ maybe living in a

place where there were no other

believers or or or maybe on a bed of

sickness where we couldn't gather

together with believers in the Lord and

we learned from verse 6 here that the

psalmist is seems to be located in the

northernmost region of Israel at that

time in and around Galilee and Mount

Hermon but his heart longs to be on

Mount Zion and in Jerusalem where

worship is is going on in fact you'll

look again with me in verse 4 if you

would please and he says these things I

remember as I pour out my soul how I

would go with the throng and lead them

in procession to the house of God with

glad shouts and songs of praise and a

multitude keeping festival so he's

thinking back on his time spent with

other believers who

together with this man worship the Lord

together in Israel and he's longing to

be back with them now you and I are

gonna look at this differently and the

reason we're gonna look at this

differently and we might even read these

words and kind of go what's the big deal

I mean where are you happen to be

located well you got to remember back in

the Old Testament location was an

absolutely enormous matter where you

were located where you went to worship

where you gathered with God's people

that was everything and and and we know

that that the worship of Israel was

always centered around the Ark of the

Covenant and that was either in the

tabernacle or the temple and for most of

its time it was in the city of Jerusalem

which was considered to be the chosen

city where God's people came and

collectively worshiped the Lord well

that's not something that you and I

think about a whole lot we don't think

about location we don't think about

going somewhere necessarily to worship

because we can we can worship where ever

you know believers get welled we can

worship alone but we can but wherever

believers come together we are together

with the body of Christ doesn't matter

really if we even know them personally I

don't know if you've ever been traveling

and stopped during your travels at a

church maybe you just kind of just went

through the yellow pages or Google to

church or something and thought well

we're gonna pick this one and we're

gonna go to this church here today and

you walked into a church and completely

unknown to everybody there and yet you

felt a sense of connectedness to those

people because you had something in

common and that was Jesus but there's

something else going on different in the

New Testament sort of an idea the Bible

says that we are the temple of the Holy

Spirit

whereas there used to be a temple that

existed in Jerusalem and there was the

Ark of the Covenant and there went on

the worship and administration's of the

priests and so on and so forth today

it's quite different isn't it you and I

are a a temple individually of the Holy

Spirit and so worship goes on wherever

two or more are gathered the Lord has

promised his presence in a dynamic way

and

and and worship happens in it and it

overflows and it's a it's a beautiful

thing but it was a very different sort

of a thing in in the Old Testament days

but Jesus actually interestingly enough

talked about the fact that worship would

be kind of decentralized if you will do

you remember his conversation with the

woman at the well in Samaria and as soon

as Jesus began to speak to this woman in

such a way as for her to recognize that

he was someone special she perceived him

to be a prophet she immediately began to

talk to him about one of the age-old

arguments between Jews and Samaritans

and that was where to worship let me put

it on the screen so you can be reminded

of it it's from John chapter forty forty

John chapter four doesn't go up to 40

and and verse 20 and she says here our

fathers worshiped on this mountain but

you say that in Jerusalem is the place

where people ought to worship jesus said

to her woman believe me the hour is

coming when neither on this mountain nor

in Jerusalem will you worship the father

the hour is coming and is now here when

the true worshipers will worship the

father in spirit and truth right for the

father is seeking such people to worship

Him so today our connection with God's

people is on a spiritual level but in

the Old Testament it was on a

geographical level they came together in

that way and it is quite apparent

through this psalm that this individual

is going through some kind of painful

trials that is keeping this individual

from being connected with the rest of

God's worshiping community and it's so

painful that some people are even asking

him where is your God I don't know if

you've ever had that question posed to

you by an unbeliever who was watching

your suffering

you know pain and difficulty have always

produced a challenging environment for

people to embrace and put their faith in

God because pain causes us to wonder if

God is who he says he is and he's a God

of love who is also all-powerful why is

there so much pain and why is there so

much suffering in this world and so that

sometimes causes people to challenge us

with the question so where is your God

in the midst of all of this and that can

be a very difficult thing because when

you're going through a difficult season

and someone is challenging you about the

presence of God related to that I mean

you're probably already dealing with

your own issues and temptations and

challenges about you know where is God

even the psalmist would cry out and say

Lord you know why have you abandoned me

why have you kind of let me go sort of

and you'll kind of see that here in fact

the psalmist repeats the same haunting

question in verse 10 look with me again

in your Bible he says as with a deadly

wound in my bones my adversaries taught

me now they're actually taunting him

with the question where is your God well

the psalmist knows where his God is but

even so even though he knows where his

God is he admits to some pretty dark

feelings related to the things that he's

going through look at verse 7 verse 7 is

highly poetic but he says deep calls to

deep at the roar of your waterfalls all

your breakers and your waves have gone

over me now that's an interesting sort

of a poetic way of saying I'm in over my

head I'm drowning in the in the sea of

my trouble and it's like the the waves

are just continuing to crash against my

life and bring pain and difficulty I

don't know if you have you played in the

in the the waves of the ocean before

there there

force to be reckoned with you have to be

very careful when you go to the ocean

for the very first time you need to is

only helpful if someone's there to

school you a little bit on the power of

the waves because the very first time

Sue and I ever I don't know if it was

your first time it was my first time

seeing the ocean when we went to the

Atlantic Ocean actually and my uncle and

aunt we were very young we were in our

early 20s in fact I'm not even sure you

were even 20 yet but because we got

married very young but I was 4 she was 2

he's kidding but but my uncle took us

out to the ocean and and he was telling

us you know how to be careful and the

very first thing we came upon was an

ambulance out at the on the beach a girl

had been picked up by a wave and slammed

down on the beach and dislocated her hip

and it was a very painful sort of a

situation but that was good but it was

kind of good for us I hey I'm sorry to

you know prosper over her pain but it

allowed us to kind of have a healthy

fear of the water and so I learned that

when you're out wading in those waves

you've got to either jump up and follow

the the breaker you know and let it kind

of take you back or you have to dive

under it and let it roll over you

otherwise you get caught in it and to be

caught in a breaker it's a very

frightening experience because it'll

just take you to the shore head over

heels and drop you there and and you're

a sandy mess you know basically after

it's through with you and this is kind

of what I think about I think about that

and it happened to me a few times I I

dove successfully under several breakers

and then I got I didn't dive deep enough

one time and I got caught in it and

suddenly I just felt myself literally

tumbling over and over lost my sense of

up and down and and it just deposited me

on the the shore kind of spitting and

sputtering and and I remember thinking

about that as as the psalmist is

speaking here about all of your breakers

and your waves have just rolled over me

and I'm just

I'm helpless I'm just helpless have you

ever been in a situation where it feels

like trouble comes in waves not just one

wave but many waves like ongoing waves

and is and you you've barely gotten

yourself put back together from the last

wave and you get hit with another one

and and then you're sputtering and

stammering and disoriented and another

wave hits you and I'm talking about

waves of trouble waves of difficulty

this is what the psalmist is talking

about deep calls to deep almost as if

the waves are speaking to one another

and and collaborating to come and make

my life miserable one after the other so

he's basically saying my troubles have

hit me repeatedly and I'm in over my

head and I've lost my footing I'm not

sure which end is even up anymore he

also admits to feeling abandoned look at

verse 9 I say to God my rock why have

you forgotten me and all these things

together the relentless pursuit of

trouble hitting time after time after

time and the feelings of abandonment and

being forgotten by the Lord and come

together and cause any one and it

certainly does this individual to fall

into an emotional depression look at

verse 11 why are you cast down O my soul

and why are you in turmoil within me

you'll remember earlier in the Psalms

that this was the same approach that

David took and that was speaking to his

soul at a time of great difficulty and

depression and you have to remember to

the human soul is made up of your

emotions your will and your intellect

and now he realizes how depressed he is

and so he challenges his soul saying why

you downcast and then he exhorts his

soul saying hope in God or put your

trust in God and notice the statement of

faith that follows that I shall again

praise him my salvation and my god it's

interesting isn't it how the psalmist

encourages his own heart speaks to his

heart why are you so bummed out

why are you so depressed why are you so

down you know put your hope in God put

your hope in him and then that that word

of faith I will yet praise the Lord

that's difficult to do when you're in a

deep dark depression isn't it I mean to

speak to your soul and to have anything

good to say you know because you know I

don't know about you but when I'm

feeling low and I don't struggle with

depression but like anybody else I think

I probably have my dips and and then

that sort of thing but it's like when I

when I've gotten that way it's like all

of life is bad like you're you're

looking at life through cloudy lenses

and there's nothing that's good

nothing's good and and and you might be

looking at things that are even

unaffected by your troubles but they're

not good anymore nothing's good because

of your depression and when nothing is

good or at least you see nothing that is

good it's very challenging to say

anything positive let alone speak to

your own soul trust in the Lord I will

yet praise Him my salvation and my God

and I and I love the fact that the

psalmist tells his heart his soul to

expect the Lord to bring him through

this time what some now we should be

saying that to each other at the very

least right that's what you and I should

be saying to somebody who is drowning in

depression

we should say listen I want you to

expect the Lord to bring you through

this time I want you to have an

expectation of God's deliverance and

goodness I know you can't see it right

now I know that everything you look at

right now is ugly and and grim but

expect the Lord's goodness here's the

question

the psalmist is saying that to his soul

expect the Lord's deliverance here's a

question I have for you do you and I

have any reason to do that I encourage

you just now to say that to someone

who's going through depression but do

you have a biblical leg to stand on in

other words is there a promise in God's

Word on which you can stand related to

that exhortation there is and you know

it it's in Romans chapter eight verse 28

let me put it on the screen for you and

we know I love the force of that that

for those who love God all things work

together for good for those who are

called according to his purpose and that

is why you and I can have an expectation

and then why we can encourage others to

have an expectation of the goodness of

the Lord because there's a promise in

God's Word that you and I can stand on

and we need to stand on it especially

during those times when the breakers the

problems the troubles are hitting us one

after the other

you