Welcome to Wisdom-Trek with Gramps! I am Guthrie Chamberlain, and we are on Day 2550 of our Trek. The Purpose of Wisdom-Trek is to create a legacy of wisdom, to seek out discernment and insights, and to boldly grow where few have chosen to grow before.
In today’s Wisdom Nugget, we’ll explore the second half of Psalm 42, focusing on verses 5 through 11 from the New Living Translation. This passage offers a raw, honest look at spiritual struggle, emotional turmoil, and the psalmist’s ongoing effort to trust in God amid deep sorrow.
Psalm 42 is often described as a “psalm of lament,” where the psalmist expresses both despair and hope. It’s a deeply relatable psalm because we’ve all faced moments when life felt overwhelming, and God seemed distant. Yet, as we’ll see, even amid his anguish, the psalmist repeatedly turns back to God, reminding us of the importance of anchoring our hope in Him.
Let’s begin by reading the passage:
Psalm 42:5-11 (NLT)
5 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!
6 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.
7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas
as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.
8 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.
9 “O God my rock,” I cry,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?”
10 Their taunts break my bones.
They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?”
11 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!
This moment highlights a key theme in Psalm 42: the tension between despair and hope. The psalmist feels overwhelmed, yet he chooses to place his trust in God. He doesn’t deny his feelings, but he also doesn’t let them define his faith.
The phrase “I will praise Him again” is significant—it shows that the psalmist believes his current situation won’t last forever. He trusts that a time will come when he can once again worship God with joy.
In verse 6, he continues: “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...
