Hope in God – A Sermon for Our Souls (Psalm 42)
Wandering in the wilderness is exhausting. There isn’t much food or water, and the dryness seeps into our souls. We feel weary, worn, and thirsty—longing for relief, longing for God. Maybe you’ve felt that way lately, struggling to find hope in a season that feels endless. When we find ourselves in these wilderness moments, where do we turn? How do we keep going when we feel spiritually dry?
The psalmist in Psalm 42 knew this feeling well. His words reflect deep longing, sorrow, and even confusion:
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" – Psalm 42:1-2
Have you ever felt that thirst? That deep yearning for something to quench the dryness of your spirit? Life brings moments that leave us parched—times of uncertainty, loss, loneliness, or discouragement. In those moments, we may feel as if God is distant, just as the psalmist did. He asks, “Where is your God?” (v.3). It’s a raw and honest cry, one that resonates with anyone who has ever wrestled with doubt or grief.
But what’s remarkable about Psalm 42 is what the psalmist does next. Instead of sinking into despair, he preaches to his own soul:
"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God." – Psalm 42:5
This is the sermon we all need. When the wilderness feels endless, when our hearts grow faint, when doubt creeps in—our souls need to hear the truth. Hope in God. He has not abandoned us. He is still faithful. Even when we don’t feel hope, we can proclaim it. Even when the desert seems endless, we can say with confidence, “I will yet praise Him!”
There is power in preaching to ourselves. So often, we let our emotions and circumstances dictate what we believe. But faith calls us to remember who God is, even when we don’t see or feel Him clearly. The psalmist chooses to hold on to hope, not because everything is suddenly better, but because he knows the character of God. He knows that God is still worthy of praise.
Maybe you’re in a season where you need to preach this to your own soul. Maybe you’ve felt distant from God, weighed down by the struggles of life, longing for something more. If so, Psalm 42 is for you. It invites us to bring our thirst, our questions, our grief before God—and then to remind ourselves that He is still our refuge, still our Savior, still our hope.
Hope is not lost. God is near, even in the wilderness.
Join us this Sunday, March 23, at 9:30 AM, as we unpack this psalm together in worship. Let’s remind our souls where true hope is found—because no matter what, we will yet praise Him!