Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?-psalm 42

"Why, O 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, 11, 43:5

Whenever something is repeated in scripture, it is probably worth focusing on. Here is one of those times. This passage is listed 3 times in 2 sequential psalms. It is believed by many scholars that not only are these two psalms in fact one, with each repeat of verse 5, the psalmist is saying it with more confidence and assurance in his soul. There are many who believe that this collection was written by someone who was down in the dumps, whether that be a physical prison or a spiritual slumber. He feels like God has forgotten him, and even the mocking of unbelievers has penetrated his soul to that point that he believes God is only present in the temple, and clearly not in his desert season where he resides at the beginning of the psalm. But then we come to verse 8. He goes from a place of "panting in my soul, as a deer pants for water" to being in the mountains of Hermon and Mount Mizar. He realizes that God's presence is everywhere.

"By day, the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me- a prayer to the God of my life."-vs. 8

Even though his soul is not fully back to where it once was, he knows that God is with him, and always has been. As a follower of God, there will be times when our soul's are downcast because of the trials and deserts of this life, but God is still faithful, and still watching out for us.
I don't know the struggles you may be going through, whether you are being attacked on all sides, or even if God is silent in your life. Something I am certain of, God has no intention of walking away from you, someone he saw worthy enough to send his son to die for. And yes, sometimes our souls will fill forgotten, but that is only temporary. Amidst the hardship dealt to the psalmist, he remembered his past and all the places God walked him through, and that gave him the confidence to keep moving forward until he could get back into the house of God. "-let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight.I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God"- 43:3-4"

Adam Semple- A Young Man on a Journey through the Psalms

*Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash