Summer in the Psalms 

Psalms 42 & 43 June 22, 2025 

Psalms is the Bible's largest and most diverse book.  It is also the most-read book in the Bible and the most quoted Old Testament book by Jesus and the apostles.  The Psalms move us to praise the Lord through adoration and thanksgiving and remind us that God is willing and able to meet all our needs.   

What do we know about Psalm 42 & 43? 

• Psalms 42 and 43 were originally a single psalm.   

We know Psalms 42 and 43 were originally one psalm for three reasons.  First, many Hebrew manuscripts combine the two psalms.  Second, Psalm 43 has no title.  Third, Psalms 42 & 43 constitute a single poem with three stanzas.  The poem’s refrain is repeated twice in Psalm 42 (Vs 5, 11) and at the end of Psalm 43.   

• We do not know who wrote Psalms 42 & 43. 

These psalms were either written by the descendants of Korah (1 Chron 6:31-37) or by David and given to the sons of Korah to be performed. 

• The theme is hope in God. 

How are Psalms 42 & 43 divided up? 

In the first stanza, David longs to worship God publicly.  Psalm 42:1-5 

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

Refrain: “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 God.”  (Psalm 42:1-5, NLT)  

David was a fugitive running from his enemies.  He was scared, tired, and frustrated.  He longed to return to Jerusalem and worship God in the Tabernacle with his countrymen.   In his refrain or the chorus to his song (Vs. 5), David calls on himself to trust God.   

In the second stanza, David cries out to God in discouragement.  Psalm 42:6-11  

“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.  “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?”  

Refrain: “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 42:6-11, NLT)  

In the first stanza, David longs for God as a deer longs for water.  In the second stanza, David laments his troubles.  David feels overwhelmed by his problems, and he wonders why God is allowing him to wander in the wilderness.  Again, in the chorus (Vs. 11), David calls on himself to believe that God will save him from his enemies, and he will worship in the tabernacle again with his friends and family. 

In the third stanza, David asks God to guide him back home.  Psalm 43:1-5 

“Declare me innocent, O God!  Defend me against these ungodly people.  Rescue me from these unjust liars.  For you are God, my only safe haven.  Why have you tossed me aside?  Why must I wander around in grief, oppressed by my enemies?  Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me.  Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live.  There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy.  I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!  

Refrain: “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 43:1-5, NLT)  

David prays for three things in Vs. 1-4: 

1st – David prays for vindication.   

David wants the Lord to plead his case and declare him innocent in front of his ungodly enemies.  David’s prayer request is based on his confidence in the Lord.   

2nd – David prays for clarity. 

David was bewildered.  He did not understand why God was letting him be chased in the wilderness by his enemies.   David felt God had forgotten him. 

3rd - David prays for light and truth.  

David asks God to send His light and truth to guide him to Jerusalem so he could worship in the tabernacle.  Light represents understanding, and truth represents God’s will as it is revealed in His Word (Psalm 119).   

Once again, in his refrain (Vs. 5), David calls on himself to believe that God will save him from his enemies, and he will worship in the tabernacle again with his friends and family. 

What can you learn from Psalm 42 & 43? 

1.  You can be honest with God. 

Your Heavenly Father wants you to share your sadness, frustration, confusion, and disappointment with Him.  He wants you to pour out the contents of your heart before Him and trust Him to deal with the mess.   

2.  You will feel far from God at times. 

There will be times in your life when you feel surrounded by your enemies and abandoned by God.  These stressful times will be tough, but testing produces endurance, and God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation (James 1:2-12). 

3.  You need to keep preaching to yourself. 

In the chorus of these psalms, David asks himself, “Why am I discouraged?”  Then he commands himself to put his life in God’s capable hands.  David orders himself to walk by faith, not by sight – to “Hope in God!”