“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”Psalms 42:11 NKJV
Songs in the Dark
Even in life’s hardest and most depressing seasons, God is with us and is listening to us.
One purpose of a song of lament, or lament psalm, is to be honest with God. It’s about expressing vulnerability by telling God exactly how we feel. We should never be afraid of God or how we speak to Him, because He is able to handle our deepest emotions and complaints. And lament psalms are our model in Scripture on how we can be honest with Him.
Psalm 42 is a lament psalm. It is a song about the hopelessness of the writer’s current condition. It speaks to deep sorrow and grief that is experienced in life. The writer of Psalm 42 does not know why he is depressed. He’s not sure why certain things are happening to him. And so he goes to God in prayer and song, expressing the deepest parts of his soul.
Another purpose of lament is to connect the hopelessness of life with the hope that God gives. Laments act as a bridge between our present situation and the promises we’re waiting on.
The writer of this Psalm speaks to his own soul and encourages himself to continue to hope in God. He knows that no season lasts forever, and there will come a time when joy returns to him.
We will all go through seasons of sadness and grief. And we will have Psalms as a guide. The first step is to come before God and honestly express yourself to Him. Tell Him exactly how you feel.
Next, remember the promises that He has given you in His Word. Recount how much He loves you and cares for you.
And lastly, encourage yourself to put your hope in God. Move towards songs of praise in spite of your current circumstances.
Share your faith: Some days are harder than others. That’s why it’s important to keep putting our hope in God.
Share your faith: Who do you know that is hurting? Be intentional to encourage them today—in Jesus’s name.
Prayer: God, there are real hardships in my life that I’m trying to surrender to You. Please help me. I want to remember that You are always good, sovereign, and in control. Once again, I’m trusting in Your provision, protection, and plans. Because I know You care about every need and desire I have, I can rest. Give me peace as I recall that You are worthy of my trust. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Note after sharing the devotional: David had a habit of encouraging himself in the Lord, like so:
“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”I Samuel 30:6 NKJV
[Side note: With the way I copy and paste Bible verses, I’m generally unable to copy partial verses, and the above verse is one of those times. That said, I actually think it works out even better for illustrating my point.]
The full verse reveals that David was indeed greatly distressed. He didn’t pretend he wasn’t. But he had a “choice point” where he could run toward God or run away from Him. He chose the former.
That doesn’t mean he didn’t have “lament” Psalms, as today’s devotional shows. In 2019, when it had been revealed how far I had strayed from God, I set two such Psalms to music. I’ve previously stated how the fast in June of that year was the turning point, and how, although God gave back the gift of music composition, it didn’t come back guy right away. In retrospect, I think that had more to do with my understanding regarding its return than the idea that God returned it to me slowly. After all, God is not limited, except by us (when He wants to work with us), as it says here:
“Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.”Psalms 78:41 NKJV
Otherwise, here are assurances we have from Him stating His unlimited power and ability to act:
“‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.”Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV
““Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?”Jeremiah 32:27 NKJV
And most notably:
“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’”Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV
That alone is too much for any human mind to comprehend, but not too much for us to trust. Regarding the return of the compositional gift, it was immediate—it just took me months to realize it. Looking back, I know this now because in July 2019, I set the text to Psalm 6 to a cappella choral music. And it is indeed a lament, for I had been going through all sorts of trouble at that time:
“O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O Lord—how long? Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!”Psalms 6:1-4 NKJV
The words really spoke to a lot of where I was at at the time. Months later, after some things began straightening out (but I was still going through other remaining challenges), I took the opportunity to do an impromptu piano and voice improvisation, which I recorded, on Psalms 42 and 43 (as one continuous, through-composed song):
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, 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 continually say to me, “Where is your God?” When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.”Psalms 42:1-5 NKJV
“Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man! For You are the God of my strength; Why do You cast me off? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, To God my exceeding joy; And on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.”Psalms 43:1-5 NKJV
It wasn’t until 2020, and especially 2021, that I finally started taking the reins of the renewed gift. It wasn’t because God was slow in returning the gift to me (He wasn’t slow at all), but rather that it took me time to fully realize what it was that had been returned to me.
I’m currently in a season of different types of hardships, namely around a deep need for healing. But God has already promised that He has heard my prayer and will heal it:
“and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.””Exodus 15:26 NKJV
Specifically, “I am the Lord who heals you.”
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
Specifically: “by [Jesus Christ’s] stripes [I am] healed.”
And:
““Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord.”II Kings 20:5 NKJV
Specifically: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you.” Although I am aware that the context for this verse has to do with King Hezekiah, this is one of those times where taking only part of a verse out of its original context is acceptable. That’s because God’s promise to heal and reverse one’s march toward death isn’t limited only to King Hezekiah. It’s a promise for all of us who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. Also acceptable given the other verses that I have already put forth, as well as this next one:
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”Romans 8:11 NKJV
The key, of course, is having received Jesus Christ as your King and Savior of your life. Additionally:
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”Romans 8:28 NKJV
…which means that even sickness and disease must bow down to the God of the Bible. God can use what the devil meant for evil and turn it around for good:
“But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”Genesis 50:20 NKJV
Through reflection, I now know that the primary culprits of the sickness I have battled are anger/rage, stress/anxiety, and coffee. I have been off coffee for over a year and a half, and I intend to stay off it for the rest of my life (please help me, Father God!). I also recently prayed for Him to remove whatever it is that has caused me to become so angry at things. I haven’t yet prayed the same over stress/anxiety in the same way recently, although I have, with His help, taken major steps toward putting anxiety aside at certain times. Additionally, other needs have become higher priority which I’m now addressing. Ultimately the goal will be to ask God what His plans are for my life. I’ve never really known the answer to that question, and I’m realizing I’ve never really asked; only that I’ve assumed that if I do the basics, then somehow I’m already in His plan and His will. I just naturally assumed it would be something that would be easy to figure out. Now I’m realizing that that may not be the case like I had thought. I now know that I can’t promise anything if He makes me whole again. My own strength is just not good enough, and maybe it was never meant to be. The best I can do regarding if He were to heal me is do what I should be doing anyway, which is giving my life to Him, and then ask Him what He wants me to be doing for Him. I’m gradually getting answers to that question as I go along.
I’ll close this post with two of my favorite passages that have helped me especially during this time:
“I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord.”Psalms 118:17 NKJV
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”Psalms 103:1-5 NKJV
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