"Hope When It's Hard" (Scruggs) | Psalm 42

Fellowship Hall

06.21.2026

Transcript

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The following report from F and we have to get towards the period. We welcome you to do that at FM at all.

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Please stand for reading from Psalm 42. As a dear pants for flowing streams, as a open pants, my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, Where is your God? These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I would go with a throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? I hope in God for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. My soul is cast down within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Herman from Mount Nazar. Deep calls to deep the roar of your waterfalls. All your breakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me. A prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, My rock, why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries will taunt me while they say to me all the day long, Where is your God? Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God. For I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God. This is the word of the Lord. Please be seated.

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Welcome to Lookout Mountain. Whoa, welcome, welcome. Welcome to Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church on this Lord's Day as we continue our sermon series and the Psalms and just a word that hopefully will be helpful about context. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, this is Psalm 42. In book one from Psalm 3 all the way to Psalm 1, the author. Typically, if you flip through those psalms this afternoon, you'll find David. In this Psalm, Psalm 42, we have the authors, the sons of Korah. So what does that mean? Good question. These were the worship leaders in the temple. So these were the singers in the temple that would lead God's people, and now we have, based on God's divinely inspired words through these sons of Korah, they're songwriters. So singers to songwriters, and we find out that they're a long way from the temple, literally and relationally. And I wanted to begin our time after that context that hopefully is helpful with an illustration. Andrew Marlin is a songwriter and singer. He's a musician from the band Watch House. And he plays the guitar as well as the mandolin. So the mandolin, you need to look it up this afternoon. It's a bluegrass typically instrument. But he said in one of his concerts, so he's holding the mandolin in front of a packed room, and he says, This is a jovial instrument. So it's happy and joyful. In the hands of a non-jovial man. And then he goes on to say, Not every song can be happy. We're about to get on the sad train. Like, oh gosh. One of the titles of his albums, Tides of a Teardrop. First song. Gosh, I wish I would just cry now and get it over with. First song, Golden Embers. It's about relational loss and longing. And this is what's in that song. Loss has no end. It binds to our connection. We don't even speak about it. We don't even try. So we sing it. His song, your song, being connected to my song. These singers turned into songwriters in Psalm 42, where lost has no end, and this is the loss of God's presence in corporate worship. Loss has no end. The type of loss that's longing for God's love. So loss that has no end, longing for God's presence, and longing for God's love. And the loss of numerous questions without answers to God. Many questions, and God can handle all of your questions. So he can handle the many, he can handle the any. But then we have this loss of God's presence, loss of God's love, all these questions without answers. And then enters into they say the enemies, where is your God? And that's what we're dealing with this morning, this relational loss and longing for God's presence and his love. And we learn from the psalm that we're actually a people of hope. We're hoping in spiritual dryness. We're hoping when we feel as if we're spiritually drowning. And we're hoping as we are the walking, walking wounded, and that is why this psalm is a psalm of lament. There's a real weight to your song and to my song. There's real weight in Psalm 42 as well. And what do we do with that weight? We actually hope in God. And that is why Psalms of Lament for the individual and for the community, these Psalms of Lament, Psalms of Lament, dominate the Psalms. It's the largest category. So hopefully what is true of the psalmist in Psalm 42 will also be true of us this morning. That we would conclude like the psalmist, hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation, and my God. Let's pray before we consider three points together this morning. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we are grateful that we are able to be in corporate worship this morning. And thus those unspoken words inside of us, you invite us to sing and to say. So, Father, I would just pray that you would continue by your spirit to meet us exactly where we are this day. And we would find hope in you and at times in you alone. In the name of Jesus, we do pray. Amen. So we will begin with our first point this morning. Where is God in the spiritual dryness? And it begins in verse 1: as a deer pants for flowing stream, so pants my soul for you, O God. And when Father's with Father's Day in mind, I just kept going back into my childhood. My father said a lot of different things, but one thing that he said on repeat, as part of my chores, you have to water the dogs. So I'm from a small town in Mississippi, and then if you go beyond that small town, is where we live in the country. So we had hunting dogs, and we had typically a dog that would be a pet and a cat. And part of my job making sure all the animals are watered. And he's using this, and I use that even now when we walk our golden retriever around the golf course. Animals need water. The deer pants and longs for water. And I think it was such a big deal to my dad to make sure you water the dogs so the dogs don't die. What's the point of watering them now? Here's my point. The deer is alive, the dog's alive, the psalmist is alive. That's why he's panting, and that's why he's thirsty. But the living water is God. It's not water in a bowl, it's water in a person. He's alive to God, and that's why he's thirsty, but he's still experiencing dryness. It's the dryness about a relationship, relational loss, and longing to be relationally connected. And then we read in verse 3, My tears have been my food day and night, while they are saying to me, Where is your God? Just picture for a moment someone in a room. And what's in that room is not empty cups or bottles, not in the room. It's not, you know, wadded up Wendy's wrapping paper. If you're like me, it would be Taco Bell. So it's none of that. You see this individual and they're not eating and drinking their emotions. There's Kleenex everywhere. What have you been doing? You're like, read the room. Crying. And then there's a knock on the door, and you're like, oh, thank goodness Walmart delivery's here. They're bringing more Kleenex. But hold on, they just knocked once, and don't you know you're supposed to leave? You knock and then you leave the Kleenex, but somebody keeps knocking. So you get the door and you open the door, and hopefully what you're longing to see is hey, I thought you noticed that all the lights have been off. I thought you noticed that I haven't left the house. I thought you noticed that you haven't seen me out and about, even in the driveway. I thought you actually noticed me. You might expect someone who cares. And we find out in the psalmist, it's the enemy. You open up the door to the enemy. And the enemy says of you, in this moment where you have just been crying, and the psalmist says, Not only am I crying, what am I eating? Tears. And they say, in that moment, when you're crying and dry and thirsty, where is your God? That's the word that you actually get. And then we have in this passage, as the deer pants for the flowing stream, so pants my soul for you, O God. And we the psalmist uses that word for God. It's the one who is in control with power to people and places, and especially when we feel powerless, weak, broken, and abandoned. The psalmist uses that word. I'm saying, singing this song to God who's in control. And not only is God in control, we experience his authority. He created us, he rules and reigns. That's why we so value his word. It is life-giving word meant to be spoken to you. So it's control, it's authority with life-giving words. And lastly, when he uses this word God, it's also about his presence. That everywhere is present all the time, and that's why it's such a powerful preposition throughout the Bible in the Old Testament. Fear not. Why? Because God is with you. What do the enemy say? No, he's not. Where's your God? What they are saying is, God does not see you. God does not hear you. God does not know you. You are nobody to God. And thankfully, the song does not end there. It continues in verse 4. These things I remember, and it's going to pass tense again. The temple singer and the temple songwriter longs to be back in Jerusalem in corporate worship. And I think we all experienced this in COVID-19, how weird it was, you know, after the first Sunday of like, oh wow, this is amazing. I got to listen to three sermons this morning in my comfy clothes. And then it was like month three, it's like, what are we doing on Sundays anymore? It's this missing of corporate worship where the psalmist actually goes to. And it's why not only at Easter and Christmas, I know we can all be frustrated that there's not enough chairs in this building to sit in. I get that. Okay. It's not just Easter and Christmas, these special days of corporate worship, and it is about that. But I have noticed, I noticed it this morning, and I also noticed it on Mother's Day. Mother's Day and Father's Day, I think there's a discussion going on of what's the only thing you want for Mother's Day. These are the elderly among us. I want to go to church. What do you want to do on Father's Day? I want to go to church. Life's dream is not the same as being in these rooms. And that's where the psalmist goes. I want to go back to church. I want to sing. I want to hear God's word. I need to hear the voice of my neighbor. That brings us to the second point this morning. So where is God in the spiritual dryness for the one who is thirsty? There's also where is God in the sorrowful depths? My soul is cast down within me. And then the psalmist goes on to conclude. And mentions these places. And I think the psalmist is going, in these places is north, so it's far from Jerusalem. And I think he's explaining there's just relational distance here. I'm not at the temple. But not only is there relational distance, he then goes into the water. So it seems to be from the highest peak this relational distance to the mountains, to the lowest possible point in the valley. And in this, I don't know the translation, the abyss, deep calls to deep. And this is not in the passage, but I do think in images, I think this deep calls to deep. And as we start to start looking at the water, I think it's in that place in between when you are in the ocean. So the top of the ocean, you're above the waves, and then you're not to the bottom of the ocean yet. That middle area, the deep calls to deep. You're not above the water, and you're not also on the land. So it's this spiritual dryness. And now I think with these words, what happens when you're spiritually drowning? The deep calls to deep. But the psalmist, even in this moment, acknowledges God's sovereignty, acknowledges God's good hard providence. He acknowledges God. Did you catch that in these verses? The psalmist describes your waves. Did you catch that? Verse 7: Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls. All your breakers and all your waves have gone over me. In the words of John Newton, what I think is happening in this moment, he writes to a dear friend, may it appear to yourself and to all around you that the Lord has done you good by your afflictions. You're still in God's hands. That's the point, I think, of this point. But then it continues to go further, and you're like, oh my goodness, like I wish this psalm would give us a break, and it doesn't. We're getting there. It ends with hope. Okay, it ends with hope. But it's dryness and it's drowning. And then we go to the psalmist explaining of himself being the walking wounded. Verse 8. I say to God, my rock, which is amazing considering everything that we have just considered, that he still says of God, my rock. Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning? Because of the oppression of the enemy. As with a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all the day long, once again, where is your God? And this deadly wound in the bones. His song should be our song. I am the walking wounded. Dry, drowning, and wounded. Again, you're like, okay, now I get that this is a psalm of lament. Okay, I'm with you, I'm following. And it reminded me of the dialogue between Proto and Gandalf. So at this point, you're like, oh my gosh, another Lord of the Rings reference. This is too good not to not to share. But it's at the end of Return of the King, where they have already destroyed the ring, the one ring to rule them all. And they are riding back to the Shire. And as they're riding back, there's dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf. And Gandalf just begins with a question: Frodo, are you in pain? Frodo responds, Well, yes, I am in pain. It's my shoulder, the wound aches. The memory of darkness is heavy on me. It was a year ago today. And then Gandalf in his wisdom says, Alas, there are some wounds that cannot be completely cured. Frodo continues, I fear it may be so with mine. There is no real going back. Though I may come to the Shire, it will not seem the same. So he's going back to this place, but he's not the same anymore. He knows the Shire will be the same, but he's not the same. For I shall not be the same. And then he makes this conclusion. I am wounded. But in those wounds and dryness and drowning, the psalmist says, God is my rock. The one in whom I stand. And that leads us to the final point this morning. How do you find your way to hope? So these are three points if we really follow, and I keep getting confused, cause the Psalms, P S A L M S, are songs, S O N G S. You're welcome to give a talk on a song, whenever you would like, it's hard to do, because it's poetry and metaphor and images. But the actual breakdown of this song is lament verses one through four, hope, verse five, lament six through seven, hope, verse eight, lament nine through ten, hope, verse eleven. So to spare y'all, we decided not to do six points. There's three. But the breakdown is lament, hope, lament, hope, lament, and it ends with hope. Tim Keller writes of verse five and eleven, I will praise him. It is not a mere prediction of change, but an active exercise. It means that we are actually supposed to be engaged in what God has done in verses six through eight. By the way of song, and he talks about singing in the night and also praying. So we are actively engaged. We are still singing and we are still spraying, even though we might experience dryness, drowning, and walking wounded. He also tells his heart that God is working with the troubles, even the waves sweeping over him are your waves. And I think what's also really powerful in this sermon or in this psalm in verses 5-11, not only do self-talk and not only just listen to your enemies, but preach this psalm to yourself. And in preaching your this psalm to yourself, I think we'll find out the content of your preaching. The covenant Lord, which is used in verse 8 and 9. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. It's this covenant Lord is present, and in this covenant Lord's presence, it's also the steadfast, unfailing love of God that in our Jesus storybook Bible we can read the never-stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love. And we know about this love throughout the Bible, and that's why Lord in this verse is all caps. It's the Lord and it is the God of covenant. That He is committed by way of relationship to his people, and guess what? His people really imperfect, his people really messed up, his people really broken, his people consistently inconsistent, his people constantly need help, and they complain that he doesn't provide enough. Those people, God says throughout the Old Testament that I will be your God and you will be my people, and you will know about that by way of covenant. Then I am committed to you even though you're not committed to me. That's the Lord, that's the title that God is knowable, and that God is nameable to the psalmist, is the name that he uses. That I will be your God and you will be my people. I will be God to you, and it will be personal, and I will be present, and I will win you over by my love. I think this is demonstrated really well of whose voice will you listen to in this psalm. For those of you who have watched Toy Story 3, and if you haven't, this is what you can do later this afternoon. But in Toy Story 3, we have this powerful moment where Andy is grown up and he's going to college and he's wondering, what do I do with all my toys? And Woody, throughout the movies, tells the toys that we belong to Andy. We're supposed to be here for Andy, but we also belong to each other. And Andy is taking all the toys itself Woody. So Woody he puts in the box that is designated for college. So Woody is watching, he's the cowboy toy. Again, you just have to watch it. I can't explain every detail, or we're gonna be here all afternoon. You've got to watch it. But he's looking, and the other toys go into a trash bag that's actually meant for the attic. But his mom sees the trash bag that she's already thrown an apple core in. So she takes the trash bag out because it's trash. But Andy meant it for the attic. Those are his toys, they belong to Andy. So Woody goes to rescue the toys, and eventually he will. And there's a ton of confusion and dialogue that no, you weren't meant to be thrown away. You were meant for the attic, and the toys don't believe Andy. Instead, the toys believe Lotso. A bear that smells like strawberries. Lotso's the villain, in case you're wondering. So they don't listen to Andy, they listen to Lotso, and here's the words that Lotso has for them. You are abandoned toys, you're neglected toys, you are forgotten toys, you are trash. And then he says, come be a part of Sunny's side, where Lotso, we find out, is actually in charge, and this is what he says to the toys. You'll never be outgrown or neglected, never abandoned or forgotten. No owner means no heartbreak. That's the enemy in this psalm. Where's your God? That's the villain that smells like strawberries. But then at the end of the movie, Andy is reunited with his toys. And now they are in a box, and he's giving them to Bonnie, a little girl. And then he goes through all the toys, but he does not realize until on the spot in front of Bonnie that Woody is actually at the bottom of this box because all along Andy put Woody in the box to go to college, but Woody is a walking and talking to Woody again. You've got to watch it. So there's an exchange being made, but he takes out Woody and Bonnie says, Cowboy! What's Woody gonna do? Woody was meant for college to go with Andy. And then he says these words to Bonnie. He's Woody is kind and Woody is brave, like all cowboys should be. But what makes Woody special? He'll never give up on you. Ever. He will be there for you no matter what. Friends, that is the gospel in Jesus Christ. Someone who will never give up on you out of sacrificial love that we know on the cross, that will be with you no matter what, as he promises in Matthew 28, whatever you do, wherever you go, we use for missions. It's for every Christian, wherever you go, whatever you do, God is with you. It's presence and it's love. And in this Jesus, He stands up to our last enemy, which is sin and death on a cross, and it is defeated forever. That's why we believe in the resurrection of the body and we believe in the resurrection of the soul. Our enemy is defeated in Christ now, and he will be defeated forever. Just a few more. That means that this Jesus is in control. Remember in the Gospels, who is the one who walks on water, deep abyss, chaos beyond control, responsible for drowning you. Jesus walks on water, and in a storm, he basically tells a storm to shut up. And the storm goes still. It is that kind of control, and it is the power for the powerless and the weak and the broken, so we might be restored. You can see this in Matthew chapter 11, in the mission of Jesus, when John the Baptist hears about him, makes the connection of are you the one to come from Isaiah, that a child is born unto us, that's a suffering servant and also happens to be a king, and will restore our souls and our bodies. And Jesus affirms, yes, why don't you go ahead and go back and tell John? The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame are walking around. The leper made clean, and the poor in spirit have good news preached to them. Go tell John about that Jesus and about that person. And that Jesus is control and Jesus is power, and that means Jesus is with us and all because Jesus is love. Alright, homework, because I can't read all of this, I'm already behind on time. This is your homework. Read 1 John, John 17, Matthew 26, Exodus 34, and then conclude with Psalm 42. And in this Psalm, in that last conclusion, we know that even in Jesus, when he returns again, we know from Revelation that tears will be no more. Can you imagine that day? I bet you're longing for that day. And we will join in singing together with one voice, my hope in God, for I shall again praise him, and we will be singing together as loud as we possibly can, my salvation and my God when we see Jesus face to face. That's the invitation. It's in sorrowful depths. It's in the spiritual dryness as the actual place that we have hope. I don't know when your lament might be over. There's not a time frame on this psalm. You're like, sons of Korah, was this three months or thirty-three years? Because that just feels different. I can't tell you how to get out of lament. But this psalm helps us live and lament. Of dryness, of drowning, of the walking wounded, yet alive to Christ and what he has actually done on our behalf. Let's close in prayer. Lord Jesus, again, thank you for this Lord's day. We are grateful that we can worship you in spirit and in truth. We would pray by your spirit that you would continue to meet us where we are. We would pray that we would see Jesus clearly and what he has done on our behalf. We would pray to our Lord and our God, and we would conclude like the comp the psalmist, my salvation and my God together. And I would just pray during our hymn of response, we would sing, even if we don't feel it. Because you are forming us into the people that you would have us to be. And we are grateful that you are a part of such formation. Amen.