Scripture to Read: Psalm 42
God clearly tells us through His Word that our hope must be in Him. In Psalm 42, our Lord led the writer to speak of hope as the Israelites faced trouble and had been exiled from their land. The Lord had the Psalmist write in Psalm 42:5, Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. Notice that the Psalmist asked himself why his soul was discouraged, cast down, and despairing. Then, the Psalmist reminded himself that he must place his hope in God Almighty and choose to praise the Lord, knowing that the Lord would help him in his time of need. Then, the Lord led the Psalmist to write again in Psalm 42:11, “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.” Our hope is in our Lord, for He is our help, and He is our salva- tion. We have so much from our Lord God Almighty that we do have reason to hope in Him each new day. The Psalmist gives us a beautiful reminder (in Psalm 42:1–2) how we must choose to long for the Lord and His Word each day. God had the Psalmist write in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Choose to hunger for Him.
Challenge & Application
• What did God teach you today about where you place your hope, and why?
• What must we long for daily, and why?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!