Put Your Hope In God And Praise His Name

I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 42:11

Psalm 42, known as a lament psalm, expresses a deep longing for God’s presence and comfort. The Psalmist wrote it during a time of spiritual distress and physical separation from worship.

This Psalm contains stanzas with a chorus repeated twice. The first verse of this Psalm opens up with a vivid metaphor of a thirsty deer. We sing a beautiful worship song using these words.

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him? Psalm 42:1-2

The writer expressed a spiritual drought as he longed to dwell in the presence of the Lord. Even his enemies noticed a difference in him, so they taunted him about the absence of God.

Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?” Psalm 42:3

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Have you experienced dry spells in your spiritual walk with the Lord? I know I have. One moment, we have the fire of God’s Spirit igniting us, with sparks of His presence all around us.

Then, all of a sudden, something changes. The fire goes out, and our zeal for Jesus becomes parched. Our lives don’t even smolder, and we wonder what has happened to God.

Then, like the Psalmist, we began to reminisce and remember the good old days. Days when life filled our church services and the impromptu worship gatherings with other Christians.

Remember How It Used To Be?

My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! Psalm 42:4

I remember when people lived from Sunday to Wednesday and then from Wednesday to Sunday. Why? We had church on those days, and people looked forward to celebrating together.

The Psalmist began the chorus by questioning himself. Too often, we want to shift blame away from ourselves. It’s easier to blame the church or pastor, or perhaps sister or brother, so and so.

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 42:5-6

He pointed to the right person, himself! We need to do the same. Why are we discouraged, or why do we have a sad heart? The Psalmist got past that and decided to put his hope in God.

The best way to get out of a spiritual slumber requires praising the Lord. I know, you might not feel like it, but if you have to start with lip service, start. It will evolve into genuine praise.

Keep Your Hope In God

The Psalmist praised God and put his hope in Him. But it didn’t pull him right out of his spiritual gutter. Even in his discouragement, he didn’t quit. He continued to fix his thoughts on the Lord.

Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you—even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.
I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life. Psalm 42:6-8

Despite his deep despair, the Psalmist chose to “hope in God” and declared that he would praise Him again. He reminded himself where his salvation came from.

I have seen too many Christians let discouragement pull them away from their walk with the Lord. Why does that happen? Sometimes we let our feelings over ride our faith.

Look what the Psalmist wrote in verse 8. He knew that God poured His unfailing love on him. Therefore, he sang songs of praise and prayed to God, the giver of life.

We must press on and ensure that our faith in the Lord prevails over our emotions and feelings. The Psalmist still had questions, and his enemies taunted him, but he stood on a firm foundation.

“O God my rock,” I cry, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?” Their taunts break my bones. They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?” Psalm 42:9-10

Unbelievers Try To Steal Your Hope in God From You

Unbelievers have no shame in asking questions that Christians have no idea how to answer. They feel, though, if they don’t come up with an answer, they will make God look bad.

Or they may think that to justify their Christianity, they need to come up with some kind of answer. I have never had a problem saying “I don’t know.” God doesn’t need us to defend Him.

The Psalmist repeated the chorus at the end of this Psalm, so I think we should repeat it also. It reminds us that when we get discouraged, nothing has changed with God; our hope rests in Him.

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God! Psalm 42:11

Peter, in his first epistle, gave us some insight into overcoming discouragement. He tells us something most of us don’t want to hear.

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 1 Peter 5:6

What to Do With Disappointments

What does humility have to do when discouragement takes over us? The thing that triggers discouragement comes when our expectations go unmet, leading to a sense of despair.

In other words, it centers on us and our way of thinking. Our attitude turns to, ‘Look what has happened to me, or what didn’t happen for me.’ Humility cleans up that attitude. Peter continued.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

Give God your worries, disappointments, letdowns, things that cause anxiety, and any other negative bombarding you. God doesn’t cause any of them; He cares too much for you.

The final thought on this. If God cares for you and gives you great hope, where does all the other stuff come from? Peter answered that question as well.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Lord, in the times we feel all alone, reveal your presence to us. As we put our hope in you, God, we will praise you again and again—our Savior and our God!

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