I was recently around a man who was very confident in his position about something. Yet, I knew that he was wrong, at least in part. He was an older man, so I wanted to respect him (he’s not a part of our church, by the way). He stated that he didn’t like it when he heard preachers say that we should have hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He said, “I don’t hope that I’m saved, I know that I’m saved.” I tried to explain to him that there are different kinds of hope, including the biblical kind of hope, which means we have assurance in something that brings us joy and comfort. For example, I have sure hope that the sun will rise tomorrow, I have sure hope that college football season will start in a few weeks, and most of all I have sure hope that no matter what happens in this world the Lord God loves me and He’s in control of all things. The man with whom I was speaking didn’t really want to hear my explanation, but I have sure hope in the fact that I won’t lose any sleep over what he thinks of me.
In today’s psalm, written by the sons of Korah, we learn to “Put Your Hope in God.”
Indeed, that is the message of Psalm 42.
Would you join me in prayer as we prepare to hear from God?
(prayer)
The sons of Korah were Levites, descended from someone who actually rebelled against Moses and Aaron.
Yet, this family line became known not as a rebellious people, but as people who were instrumental in leading Israel in the worship of God. Indeed, their legacy was redeemed (by the way, that’s a lesson for all of us; your family history does not determine your legacy).
In Psalm 42, they write in the singular first-person perspective, meaning they’re writing from the perspective of one person who is speaking of the hope of God.
However, there are several emotions that are swirling around in this psalm.
Let’s look at what’s present here.
First, let’s read the entire psalm.
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so I long for you, God.
2 I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night,
while all day long people say to me,
“Where is your God?”
4 I remember this as I pour out my heart:
how I walked with many,
leading the festive procession to the house of God,
with joyful and thankful shouts.
5 Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6 I am deeply depressed;
therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan
and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your billows have swept over me.
8 The Lord will send his faithful love by day;
his song will be with me in the night—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God, my rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about in sorrow
because of the enemy’s oppression?”
10 My adversaries taunt me,
as if crushing my bones,
while all day long they say to me,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you so dejected?
Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him,
my Savior and my God.
As we reflect upon this psalm, notice first the . . .
I. Negativity from others.
We experience negativity from others sometimes, don’t we?
At times, it’s beyond mere negativity, and it’s downright evil.
The psalmist spoke of this in Psalm 42.
He said in verse 3, “My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, ‘Where is your God?’”
He’s filled with tears day and night.
Have you ever felt that way?
Also, people are not merely mocking him; they’re mocking God.
We see a lot of that in our world. People who speak negatively against us and our faith.
In verse 5, he asks, “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil?”
In verse 6, he says, “I am deeply depressed . . . ”
In verse 10, he says, “My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is your God?’”
He then follows once again (in verse 11), “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil?”
We all experience negativity at times, and for some of us it seems unbearable.
What are we to do in such circumstances?
Well, these next three points will speak to that.
Second, the psalmist speaks of . . .
II. Memories of God.
Brothers and sisters, we must remember the Lord’s faithfulness to us.
We must remember the Lord’s blessings in our lives.
We must remember when we felt intimately close to the Lord.
We must remember our heartfelt devotion to and worship of the Lord.
We must remember the spiritual decisions we made in our lives.
We must remember how the Lord has never let us down.
Listen to what Psalm 42 says about this reality:
In verse 1, the psalmist says, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so I long for you, God.”
If you’re out in the wilderness looking for animals, a good place to look is near a water source.
Animals need water. Animals long for water.
Catch this as well, church: Animals remember where water is located.
The psalmist remembers that the Lord is good and the Lord is what he needs.
These memories of the goodness of God drive him to say, “I long for you, God!”
Do you remember how good the Lord is?
Verse 4 says, “I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.”
These words likely refer to a worship procession of God’s people.
Remember, the sons of Korah (who wrote this psalm) helped lead people in worship.
The particular son writing this psalm remembers what it was like worshiping God with others. He longs for that experience as he remembers the goodness of God.
He says in verse 6, “ . . . I remember you from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.”
No matter where he is, in Jordan or in Jerusalem, he remembers how good God is.
Is that true of you? No matter where you are, no matter what you are going through, do you remember the goodness of God?
Well, what if you are experiencing negativity, you remember the Lord’s goodness, yet you still have unanswered questions?
That leads to the third element we see in Psalm 42:
III. Questions to God.
Friends, it’s ok to ask God questions.
We talked about this some last week with Psalm 27.
It is 100% ok to ask questions of God, while doing so with reverence and humility, and also while realizing that God doesn’t owe you any explanation.
However, it’s ok to tell Him how you feel.
Listen to what the psalmist:
He asks in verse 9, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”
Now, in case you’re wondering, God had not forgotten him.
God knew everything he was going through. God saw every moment of his life.
The same is true for you and me. God knows all your burdens and blessings. He knows all your tears and laughter. He knows all your doubt and all your confidence. He knows all your sin and all your repentance.
God knows everything about you, and God has not forgotten you.
God sees you, and He sees our church.
However, sometimes the difficulty of the moment is so intense that we feel compelled to cry out to God and ask, “Why must I go about in sorrow?”
Have you been there, friends? I know I have.
First of all, you’re not alone. God’s people, ever since the beginning of time, have brought their questions to God. You can too.
Remember, He doesn’t always answer in the way that we expect. Sometimes it feels like He’s not answering at all.
However, what you need most is not an answer from God. What you need most is God Himself.
Because (among other things) God is the one who gives us hope.
That’s the last element we see:IV. Hope from God.
We must remember not to be like the man in my opening story who didn’t understand the biblical concept of hope.
The Bible constantly calls us to find hope in God.
Lamentations 3:22–24 says, “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in him.’”
Romans 5:3–5 says, “ . . . we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us . . . ”
Romans 15:13 says, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(return to point #4 slide)
Here in our passage today, we are also called to find our hope in God.
In verse 1, the psalmist says that he longs and thirsts for God.
What he needs is found in God.
God can give him hope and so much more.
In verse 5, he says, “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.”
In verse 8, he says, “The LORD will send his faithful love by day; his song will be with me in the night . . . ”
Day and night, he can take hope in the reality that God will faithfully love him.
In verse 9, he refers to the Lord as his rock.
Friends, we also can take hope in the fact that God is steady and strong.
Then, in verse 11, he says again, “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.”
Church, do you have some problems that are bringing you down? Do you have some unanswered questions that are causing you worry? Are you suffering in some way? Why, friends, are you dejected? Why are you in such turmoil?
Put your hope in God! Continue to praise God!
This is the point of Psalm 42, and this is our bottom line:
Bottom Line: Put your hope in your Savior and God.
God gives us all the hope we need when life tempts us to be dejected and in turmoil.
Brothers and sisters, this world is not an easy place for the follower of Jesus. Put your hope in your Savior and God.
Things happen that are difficult and sometimes unexplainable. Put your hope in your Savior and God.
You will experience suffering. Put your hope in your Savior and God.
The more difficult this life is, the more we must focus on the hope of God.
Do so by challenging yourself this week in this one way:
Weekly Challenge: List five ways God gives you hope.
Some of us may easily forget how the Lord gives us hope. Spend some time this week focusing on that.
What are five ways that the Lord gives you hope?
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.