Psalms 42 & 43 are generally believed to be written by the same author & the one follows the other. We can understand that the Psalmist was in exile, or held captive, in the far North of Palestine ( Psalm 42:6), & being in that sad state, he yearns to return to the temple in Jerusalem (vv 1-5), reveals the depths of his distress (vv 6-11), & prays to God that he might return ( Psalm 43:1-5).
Even though that specific situation of the Psalmist wouldn't apply to us, I see the verse common in both Psalms (v11 & v 5), "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", as being relevant.
So, the lesson to be learned from these Psalms would be: as much as we all face trials & tribulations of various sorts in this life, some even causing us to become "disquieted" (or, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually troubled), we should not allow these trials to overcome us, thus bringing us to grief & making us useless to all including ourselves. Rather, as the Psalmist tried to pick himself up, turning away from his hopelessness of his circumstances & instead made a wilful decision to turn to God, Who alone was able to save him. When our eyes are turned away from our miserable lot & turned to the One Who is able to deliver & keep, then our hearts can be filled with praise & thankfulness, & we can echo Psalm 118:23, "This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." When we see & acknowledge that God alone can deliver us, our perspective on life will be different & we would see the testing of our faith working out in patience, longsuffering, hope, trust & joy in our lives. And as believers bought with Christ's precious Blood, we have so much to rejoice in & trust in the power of His Holy Name. We should never get despondent, but if it comes upon us, we know that we have an intimate relationship with the Lord Who will never leave us & will carry us through it.
Even though that specific situation of the Psalmist wouldn't apply to us, I see the verse common in both Psalms (v11 & v 5), "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", as being relevant.
So, the lesson to be learned from these Psalms would be: as much as we all face trials & tribulations of various sorts in this life, some even causing us to become "disquieted" (or, mentally, emotionally, & spiritually troubled), we should not allow these trials to overcome us, thus bringing us to grief & making us useless to all including ourselves. Rather, as the Psalmist tried to pick himself up, turning away from his hopelessness of his circumstances & instead made a wilful decision to turn to God, Who alone was able to save him. When our eyes are turned away from our miserable lot & turned to the One Who is able to deliver & keep, then our hearts can be filled with praise & thankfulness, & we can echo Psalm 118:23, "This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." When we see & acknowledge that God alone can deliver us, our perspective on life will be different & we would see the testing of our faith working out in patience, longsuffering, hope, trust & joy in our lives. And as believers bought with Christ's precious Blood, we have so much to rejoice in & trust in the power of His Holy Name. We should never get despondent, but if it comes upon us, we know that we have an intimate relationship with the Lord Who will never leave us & will carry us through it.
Trust the LORD to reveal why, please pray for wisdom & understanding as you read.
Sometimes I've studied scripture & led to something in scripture that's later helpful for someone or brought up in discussion.
2Corinthians 1:3-5,
Hopefully these are helpful
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