Elder Chew Chong Kiat

Remedy for Dejection
Text: Ps 42

Although God is such a good Lord and a faithful Shepherd, yet there are moments in our lives when we are cast down and disquieted in our souls. How shall we get ourselves out of this melancholy? Medicine may help for a season and that symptomatically, but when the effect wears off, we will seek it again. Thanks be to God for His life-giving and health-giving Word. As a hart that is satisfied by the water brook, so may God’s people find a refreshing stream when they come to the Psalms. In particular, a dejected soul will find the healing balm in Psalm 42. Those who are prone to persistent sadness and feelings of hopelessness will do well to be familiar with this Psalm.

Introduction to the Psalm
The Psalmist, probably David, wrote this Psalm to reflect the emotional upheaval he experienced and how he found peace again with God.

Survey of David’s Upheaval
Notice how David described the upheaval in his soul:

A Soul Thirsting for God Because of Absence from the House of God. (v1-2, 4) 1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?....4 When I remember these [things], I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

David was prevented from going to the house of God because he was either running from Saul who sought his life or fleeing from Absalom, his son, who rebelled against him to take the throne.

He recalled the joy of the presence of God in public worship (v4). God is a living God to him (v2). He saw the Sabbath Day not as an ordinary day, but as holy (v4), dedicated to God. Now that this privilege was taken from him, he longed for the house of God and thirsted for God.

A Soul Sorrowful, Exacerbated by Taunting of Enemies (v3, 9, 10) 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where [is] thy God? ...9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 [As] with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where [is] thy God?

David’s enemies taunted him in his calamities. They knew of his faith in God; and seeing the sad state he was in, they sought to cast doubts with questions like "Where is thy God whom you trusted? Why is he not helping you? Has he forgotten about you?" These words aggravated his misery.

When we put our faith in God, scorners may mock us for our faith. These voices may come from without the church and even within the ranks, and also from within our heart. We must guard ourselves against such. Don’t let these voices get the better of us.

The Psalmist described his emotion in v5, v11. "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me?"

He likened his sorrows to waves that came in rapid succession, like a waterspout that caused a deluge, sweeping away everything.

v7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

The language is vivid: one can hear the roaring noise of the waterfalls; we can imagine the waves and billows hitting at the psalmist relentlessly.

A Christian may experience days in his life when it does not just drizzle, but pours cats and dogs. Before one trouble is over, the next few trials come in rapid succession. Such was the experience of Job.

No wonder the Psalmist was overwhelmed and CAST DOWN!

Antidote to David’s Upheaval
He shares with us his antidote in this Psalm.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance {signify face or presence, i.e. God’s presence is salvation}.
c.f. 11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God. {Note: ‘health’ has the same Hebrew word as ‘help’ in v5, but translated as ‘health’ here to emphasize the strengthening of one who hopes in God. It is elsewhere translated as ‘Joshua’, the Hebrew version of ‘Jesus’ or’ Saviour’}

Notice who the Psalmist is speaking to in v5 & 11? Yes, he is speaking to himself.

We must preach to ourselves. In times when our emotion is leading us down the path of faithless murmuring, our minds renewed in the knowledge of God’s Word must control our emotion to act in obedience to the clear knowledge of God’s Word and promise. Cling to the Truth and the infallible promises of God. Bridle the negative emotions using the authoritative Word of God. Nothing can be more effective to help us than our renewed mind! We are always there for us. We can’t run away from ourselves. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who is our Teacher and our Comforter.

But what do we speak to ourselves about?
Verses 5 & 11 tell us that we are to stop doing something and start doing something. We are to stop sliding down the slippery way of dejection, and to start climbing the stairs of hope. ‘Hope maketh not ashamed’, says the Apostle Paul (Rom 5:5), for God is faithful. Yes, we shall YET praise Him! Though He slay us, yet shall we praise Him, for He makes no mistakes and always does what is best for us. Our situation may look hopeless, humanly speaking, but nothing is too difficult for the God who can open the Red Sea and still the wild storm. Besides, it is in His good will to refine our faith through the fiery storm that we are in. And the fire is not to consume us, but to make us perfect in Christ Jesus our LORD, so that we will yet praise Him.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
The second exhortation is to Remember God. It is easy to forget who God is in our troubles. Think of the 12 disciples of Christ who saw all His miraculous works and heard all the gracious heavenly wisdom daily; yet when they were caught in the storm of Galilee they rowed frantically for their lives whilst their Lord was asleep peacefully in the same boat, and alas cried out to Him incredulously, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?" (Mk 4:38). What happened in the midst of the storm? Yes, we need to get out of our sad and miserable state, and remember our God!

8 [Yet] Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the day-time; And in the night his song shall be with me, [Even] a prayer unto the God of my life.
9 I will say unto God my rock ..

Remember Him for His loving kindness and the songs He can send in the darkest night of our lives. He is our Rock, firm and solid, and trusting in Him, we will surely succeed.

The third thing we must do is to Pray. After we get a grip of our emotions to hope in God and to remember Him for who He is to us, we may now cast our cares upon Him, for He cares for us always (1Pet 5:7). Our prayers will be answered in His time and as we hope in Him. If there is any unconfessed sin, make peace with God immediately.

This then is the blessed hope of a child of God when he is downcast. May God bless this healing balm to some dejected soul. May we all take this healing balm to help that soul to look to God, who is the health of our countenance and our God. Amen.