“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.”—Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Today’s devotional will walk through Psalm 42 and 43. So, before continuing on, go read them both entirely. Both chapters are only 16 verses total! 

These psalms are categorized as psalms of lament. The highlighted verse for today is actually a mantra repeated three times throughout the two chapters which strings together a very important theme about lamenting. 

Lamenting involves both acknowledging the real difficulty of grief and sadness, while also choosing to remember the faithfulness of God so we can put our hope in Him through the difficult times of life. Lamenting is about choosing hope when all hope seems lost. Lamenting is about learning how to live in the tension of how struggle, grief, confusion, and hope can coexist in our hearts. 

Let’s break down the two psalms to learn what the process of lamenting in Old Testament times looked like. In the first four verses of Psalm 42, the psalmist writes with beautiful metaphors about his soul thirsting for God like a deer pants for water and crying so much that his tears are like his food. He expresses the depth of his longing and grief through these metaphors because it’s an outlet for him to “pour out his soul.” We must catch what he writes in that very same line, though, “These things I remember as I pour out my soul.” Here, he’s remembering the good moments of joyful worship and praise while he turns to worship in grief. We can express our grief in similar ways, but the challenge here is to express it worshipfully through keeping in mind the goodness of God.

The next verse is where we get today’s mantra shared at the top, yet the psalm doesn’t end yet. The psalmist goes back to acknowledging the reality of his deep emotions in verse 6. Even after doing this; however, he goes back to remembering the faithfulness of God in the past. The presence of God and His love runs deep. He recalls it with more imagery in verses 7–8, which also displays how he reassures himself of truth. We must also make a habit out of this, because the enemy tries to sneak in with lies that seem true all the time—especially when we’re struggling or grieving! 

Verses 9-10 are reassuring to our humanity, because the psalmist still comes before the Lord with raw and real questions. He addresses his questions to God without forgetting who his God is, the Rock. After this, we end with the same mantra yet again—a conscious decision to place his hope in God. 

Psalm 43 differs in the lament because it seems to focus on a frustration over being oppressed by enemies or experiencing injustice. In this psalm, the psalmist pleas for justice and questions why God would seemingly reject him and allow his enemies to see success. In verses 3–4, he requests God to send him light, faithful care, and guidance. He knows that being where God is, on the holy mountain, in His dwelling place, is the best place to be. He wants to be closer to God, even in his grief and confusion, because that’s where he can truly be in relationship with God and experience deep-seated peace in praising God. This psalm also ends with the same mantra copied at the beginning. 

Take comfort in knowing that in seasons of darkness, our hearts can lament with hope.

Pause: Living in the tension of grief and hope is something really unique to the Christian life because our hope is eternal and secure! Have you experienced this tension of sadness and grief with hope? 

Practice: Regardless of whether you’re in the middle of grieving or celebrating something right now, I urge you to reread these psalms and fill in the remembrance portions with specific instances in your life where you saw God’s goodness. Then, repeat the prayer from today’s highlighted verse a few times out loud to God. 

Pray: Father God, my soul is often influenced by the emotions of my heart. My emotions are often influenced by my own thoughts and circumstances. And Father, even though my emotions are fleeting that doesn’t make them any less real or impactful. I acknowledge them today, in this moment, and lay them before You. I lay my situation before You. And I recall Your goodness and faithfulness to me. In every season, You have come through for me with grace and mercy. Thank You! I will put my hope in You again and again and again. Jesus, I love you. Amen.