Praise at Dawn · Day 9

Psalms 41–45 — As the Deer Longs for Water

About 10 min read · 72 v.

Speaking hope to a downcast soul.

Faithful spouses draw clear water together from their courtyard well at dawn.

Psalm 41

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.

¹Blessed is he who considers the poor. The LORD will deliver him in the day of evil.

²The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive. He shall be blessed on the earth, and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.

³The LORD will sustain him on his sickbed, and restore him from his bed of illness.

⁴I said, “LORD, have mercy on me! Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

⁵My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”

⁶If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.

⁷All who hate me whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me.

⁸“An evil disease”, they say, “has afflicted him. Now that he lies he shall rise up no more.”

⁹Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, who ate bread with me, has lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But you, LORD, have mercy on me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.

¹¹By this I know that you delight in me, because my enemy doesn’t triumph over me.

¹²As for me, you uphold me in my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.

¹³Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting and to everlasting! Amen and amen.

Psalm 42

For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah.

¹As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.

²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

³My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

⁴These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I used to go with the crowd, and led them to God’s house, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping a holy day.

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.

⁶My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.

⁷Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me.

⁸The LORD will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

¹⁰As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43

¹Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men.

²For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

³Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill, to your tents.

⁴Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.

⁵Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him: my Savior, my helper, and my God.

Psalm 44

For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. A contemplative psalm.

¹We have heard with our ears, God; our fathers have told us what work you did in their days, in the days of old.

²You drove out the nations with your hand, but you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, but you spread them abroad.

³For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.

⁴God, you are my King. Command victories for Jacob!

⁵Through you, we will push down our adversaries. Through your name, we will tread down those who rise up against us.

⁶For I will not trust in my bow, neither will my sword save me.

⁷But you have saved us from our adversaries, and have shamed those who hate us.

⁸In God we have made our boast all day long. We will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.

⁹But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor, and don’t go out with our armies.

¹⁰You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.

¹¹You have made us like sheep for food, and have scattered us among the nations.

¹²You sell your people for nothing, and have gained nothing from their sale.

¹³You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.

¹⁴You make us a byword among the nations, a shaking of the head among the peoples.

¹⁵All day long my dishonor is before me, and shame covers my face,

¹⁶at the taunt of one who reproaches and verbally abuses, because of the enemy and the avenger.

¹⁷All this has come on us, yet we haven’t forgotten you. We haven’t been false to your covenant.

¹⁸Our heart has not turned back, neither have our steps strayed from your path,

¹⁹though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,

²¹won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.

²²Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long. We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Wake up! Why do you sleep, Lord? Arise! Don’t reject us forever.

²⁴Why do you hide your face, and forget our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust. Our body clings to the earth.

²⁶Rise up to help us. Redeem us for your loving kindness’ sake.

Psalm 45

For the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A contemplation by the sons of Korah. A wedding song.

¹My heart overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer.

²You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.

³Strap your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty.

⁴In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and righteousness. Let your right hand display awesome deeds.

⁵Your arrows are sharp. The nations fall under you, with arrows in the heart of the king’s enemies.

⁶Your throne, God, is forever and ever. A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.

⁷You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

⁸All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad.

⁹Kings’ daughters are among your honorable women. At your right hand the queen stands in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your father’s house.

¹¹So the king will desire your beauty, honor him, for he is your lord.

¹²The daughter of Tyre comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your favor.

¹³The princess inside is all glorious. Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

¹⁴She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you.

¹⁵With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led. They shall enter into the king’s palace.

¹⁶Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth.

¹⁷I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks forever and ever.

Scripture: World English Bible, Protestant Edition (WEBP) — eBible.org. Public domain. Rights

Reflection

An original reflection from Fall 7 Rise 8 Ministry

Psalm 41 closes Book One of the Psalter with a blessing on those who consider the poor. Psalms 42 and 43 open Book Two with thirst: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God." The writer remembers better days of worship and feels far away from them.

Notice what he does: he talks back to his own soul. "Why are you in despair, my soul? Hope in God!" Feelings are real, but they are not the final word. Psalm 44 brings a nation's confusion to God, and Psalm 45 lifts our eyes to the coming King.

Practice

When discouragement rises today, say Psalm 42:11 to yourself by name: "Why are you downcast, ____? Hope in God."

Prayer

Living God, my soul is thirsty for You. When I am downcast, teach me to hope in You again. Send Your light and truth to lead me. Amen.

Study notes

Every Man’s Bible — supplied study notes — From the Every Man’s Bible study notes, as supplied to the ministry. Shown separately from the ministry’s original reflection.

41:1-3

It is easy to become blind to the needs of others if we only focus on our own needs and feelings. We must reach out to help others in need. As we do, we will experience God’s help when we are emotionally down or physically sick or when we face difficult situations.

41:4-9

There may be people in our lives who hope we will fail. We may feel pressure from such people during times when our relationship with God is weak. We need to keep our eyes focused on God; he will never let us down.

42:1-3

The psalmist paints a beautiful picture of the person who aches to be close to God. We need to realize that only God can satisfy our real needs. Other things may temporarily appease us, but in the end we lose our contentment with them. If we seek God sincerely, he will help us to change our desires. We can learn to make him the object of our hearts’ deepest longing.

42:4-11

The writer of this psalm honestly shared his feelings of depression over the suffering he was experiencing. Then he declared his faith in God and recognized God’s power to deliver. He struggled back and forth between despair and faith, and he was always honest about what he was feeling. We will all experience times of deep discouragement; they are to be expected. But God wants us to remember that even as floods of trouble sweep over us, we should keep trusting in him. We should feel free to express our feelings to God, and he will answer us.

43:1-5

People may sometimes treat us unfairly. During such times we must remember to look to God for strength and encouragement. As we surrender our lives to him, we will find the help we need. Then we, too, will burst into praise for our Savior and our God.

44:1-7

There are always valuable lessons to be learned from our spiritual predecessors. Those who have progressed farther spiritually can share how God has transformed their lives. The victory God has given others should encourage us, but we must also put into practice the principles they share.

Additional reading from the supplied source

Optional articles printed alongside these psalms. They are not verse commentary.

How to Convey God’s Perspective on Sex— By Josh McDowell

It is healthy for young people to study the Scriptures and gain a thorough understanding of God’s perspective about sex. Such an understanding is essential for anyone who wants to say no to premarital sex.

God designed and created sex. It is not dirty or evil, and God is not down on sex. It is a carefully planned aspect of our humanness, intended for our benefit and God’s glory. The Song of Songs is not only a beautiful love story, it is also a wholesome sex manual. And the apostle Paul in the New Testament not only approves of sex between marriage partners, he also recommends it often. Anyone who questions whether sex is good is actually questioning God’s goodness.

The best place for young people to learn God’s perspective about sex is at home. Here are a few key elements about sex you should be sharing with your kids.

It is important for young people to feel good about being male and female and to accept their sexuality as a gift from God. The psalmist says, ‘Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous’ (Psalm 139:14, NLT). The creation of the human body, with its sex drives and organs, is something to thank him for. There are no reasons to be ashamed. From the beginning, human sexuality is seen as a reflection of the character of God, and its existence is described as ‘very good.’

As you study God’s perspective on sex, three things become apparent:

1. God is pro-sex. He created sex, and he wants us to enjoy it to the fullest. If anyone has any doubts, read the Song of Songs.

2. Sexual intercourse is intended for oneness. There is no expression of unity between a man and a woman that is more intimate than this. Oneness is one of the primary purposes of sex.

3. God designed sex for marriage—it is meant to take place between a husband and wife. Since oneness is the primary purpose for sexual intercourse, it is evident why God has restricted it to the context of marriage.

Marriage, in God’s plan, is the permanent bonding of two people. Paul uses the analogy of Christ and the church to provide a deeper understanding of that union (Ephesians 5:31–32). Based on that relationship, divorce is not an option for two believers. To a culture that lives for the moment and marries for the moment, the Christian concept of lifelong commitment to one person stands out in sharp contrast.

A separate topical article appearing among the supplied Psalms pages; not verse commentary on Psalms 41–45.

Keep going

Wisdom at Dawn — daily Proverbs Ministry resources Request prayer