O God, My Soul Longs for You
Psalm 42; 09/27/2026; IOUC; Brother He Zhao
Introduction
Praise the Lord! This time I chose Psalm 42 as the Scripture passage for the sermon. Whenever I choose a passage, I consider what God has recently been impressing upon my heart in my own life. Recently, perhaps because of the pressures of life and work and the entanglement of my old self, I have become distant from God. I keep unconsciously scrolling through videos and watching many interviews, and I just cannot quiet myself down to read the Bible and pray. I wanted to find a printed Bible, but I could not even find it! Watching time pass minute by minute, I felt restless while lying flat and doing nothing. When Preacher Fang Zhong asked me what passage I would preach on, Psalm 42 naturally came to mind.
Yet what comforts me is this: the world and my old self may sometimes take hold of our bodies, but they cannot take away the hearts of us who are God’s children! I believe that God will surely lead me out of this state of lying flat, weakness, and powerlessness.
Originally, I wanted to title the sermon, “Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul?” Later, as I thought about how to organize the sermon, God impressed upon me that my sermon should not merely express my own inner feelings; more importantly, it should build up the brothers and sisters. So I changed the title to “O God, My Soul Longs for You!” When we have a heart that longs for God, we have a relationship with God. Do you agree?
Although Psalm 42 was not written by David, when we talk about the Psalms, it is very easy to think of David. David’s life was full of highs and lows. He was anointed by Samuel when he was still a shepherd boy. Later, King Saul became jealous of him and pursued him. After David became king of Israel, he sinned against God by committing adultery and murder. When his son was about to die, he fasted and prayed, asking God to save him. Later, when he learned that his son had died and understood that God’s will could not be changed, he immediately changed his clothes and washed himself. Because David was closely connected with God, he showed remarkable resilience in life.
So let us return to Psalm 42. How did the psalmist long for God? In what circumstances did he long for God? And how did the psalmist come out of his downcast state?
Let us look at the first main point:
My Soul Longs for God
- As a Deer Longs for Streams of Water
O God, my soul longs for You, as a deer longs for streams of water.
At the very beginning, the psalmist expresses his longing for God. What does it mean to long for streams of water as a deer does? The picture that may come to our minds is a spotted deer in the early morning, lowering its head to drink from a stream beside green grass, right? It is a beautiful and clear picture.
Once I climbed a mountain by myself. The mountain was about 1,800 meters high. I went up by a relatively steep route, and unfortunately I forgot to bring water. By the time I had climbed almost halfway, I was extremely thirsty. That kind of longing for water at that moment, I think, is what it means to truly long for something. I suddenly felt that ordinary drinking water would be unbelievably sweet. Later, when I reached the top of the mountain, I could not wait to buy a bottle of water there. Its sweetness was beyond words. Praise the Lord for allowing me to experience what longing means! When we have gone for some time without seriously reading God’s Word or reflecting on God’s Word, do our hearts have this kind of longing?
In Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13–14, Chinese Union Version)
We should also long for God’s Word as a deer longs for streams of water!
- Longing for the Living God
My soul longs for God, for the living God;
Here the psalmist emphasizes that our God is the living God! Our prayers are not directed into the air; our prayers are directed to the living God! Our God is alive, and He hears our prayers! His Word is living! He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present God! He knows our weakness and our pain! He loves us, and He watches over us!
When we pray and when we read the Bible, are we having a living and real communion with God?
In the hands of the living God, we do not need to be afraid! Let us long for the living God!
- Tears as My Food
My tears have been my food day and night;
People continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
The weaker we are and the more powerless we feel, the more easily we cry, don’t we? When we were children, we cried very easily. As we grow older, it seems that we cry less and less. Especially under the influence of the saying that a man should not easily shed tears, it can seem that if we cry, people will look down on us. Yet admitting before God that we are weak and powerless is precisely the secret of receiving strength! For God’s power is made perfect in human weakness!
Because God’s name was being mocked, the psalmist had tears as his food day and night. His heart longed for God’s name to be glorified! This is also what we Christians should pursue: to glorify the name of the Lord!
Telling of His Present Circumstances
- Remembering the Former Shouts of Joy
I used to go with the multitude,
with shouts of joy and praise,
leading them to the house of God as everyone celebrated the feast.
When I remember these things,
my heart is overwhelmed with sorrow.
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why are you disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for He helps me with His smiling face;
I will yet praise Him.
Our life of faith is not always smooth sailing, is it? Perhaps none of us wants persecution. How wonderful it would be if we could simply come to church, sing hymns together, listen to sermons, and greet one another. But what if persecution comes?
Yet the Lord Jesus told us long ago that in this world we would have suffering! But the Lord Jesus Christ has already overcome the world!
So, brothers and sisters, let us treasure the days when we are still able to worship God together. Let us lay down our worldly burdens and come to worship God regardless of everything else! Let us train ourselves to stand up again by relying on the Lord in every circumstance, and to rejoice in the Lord! “Do not stop meeting together!” This is the Lord Jesus’ command! Let us learn to quiet our hearts, which have become accustomed to busyness, within the body of the Lord, and enjoy joy and peace in our worship of Him!
- Singing Praise Far from the Sanctuary
O my God, my soul is downcast within me;
therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan, from the heights of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls;
all Your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day, the LORD will show His steadfast love to me;
at night, I will sing and pray to the God who gives me life.
The sons of Korah were a group of people responsible for singing and praising God in the temple in Jerusalem in the south. At this time, the psalmist was probably taken captive by enemies to the area around Mount Hermon in northern Israel. A change of place often leaves us at a loss, doesn’t it? Yet sometimes circumstances force us into an unfamiliar setting.
We may be accustomed to worshiping in a church building and not accustomed to online worship, and even less accustomed to worshiping in prison!
Yet enemies may take away the bodies of God’s children, but they cannot take our hearts captive! If our hearts long for God, then even if one day we find ourselves in an unfamiliar environment, we can still offer worship and praise to God!
Right now, we are worshiping God together online from different places! Our God transcends time and space!
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24, Chinese Union Version)
- Facing the Oppression of Enemies
I will say to God—my Rock:
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
My enemies mock me,
as though crushing my bones,
continually saying to me,
“Where is your God?”
Sometimes God allows us to be placed under the oppression of enemies in order to train us! Just like a tree, only after going through storms will it put down deep roots and grow. These storms and challenges are precisely the times when our faith is tested!
When facing the oppression of enemies, we must firmly build our hope upon our God, our Rock! At most, the enemy can insult us, strike us, and torture us! We should not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul!
Of course, our pain does not necessarily come entirely from challenges in our circumstances. Many times, it may come from what seems to be God’s silence! Jesus also said to the Father on the cross, “Father, why have You forsaken me?”
Our Rock hears our cries!
Fixing Our Eyes on God
- Why Are You Disturbed?
In Psalm 42, the psalmist asks his own soul for the second time:
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why are you disturbed within me?
What do we usually do when we feel irritated and restless? Perhaps we scold our wives or shout at our children, right?
Our circumstances can indeed make us restless. We should not deny our emotions, but neither should we vent our emotions on other people! We can pour out our hearts to God and ask Him to take this cup away. Our only way forward is to submit to the Lord’s will!
When Jesus faced the persecution that was about to come, the Bible records it this way. Jesus said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not according to my will, but according to Your will.”
(Matthew 26:37–39, Chinese Union Version)
Thankfully, our Lord knows our suffering; He Himself has also experienced it!
- Put Your Hope in God
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him.
When our hearts are restless, venting our emotions on other people may cause a whole series of troubles, right? I once watched a video about a person who, during breakfast, scolded his child because the child broke a plate. The child cried and made a fuss; then, while cleaning up the broken plate, the person cut his hand. Before leaving home, the whole family was already in chaos. He went to work in a bad mood, hit a utility pole on the way, and then got into a conflict with a colleague after arriving at the office. In this way, the whole day, and even the days that followed, were ruined!
A wise person should let our restlessness stop with God! Let us bring peace and joy to the people around us! When we immediately look to God, praise will arise in our hearts! Brothers and sisters, God is our refuge, our protection in times of trouble, and our strong tower! When we are restless, let us sing praises to God, pray to God, and look to God!
- He Is My God
The psalmist says, “He is the glory of my countenance and my God!” Brothers and sisters, what is our glory? Is it the school we attended? Our academic qualifications? Our savings? Our cars and houses? Our height and appearance? Can we glory in nothing except that Jesus Christ is our Lord, because He is our God?
Conclusion
Praise the Lord! The world today is full of evil, and there are many things and idols that can cause us to stumble! May God help us to long for His Word alone, remove the idols from our hearts, and enable us to receive strength from the Lord amid challenges and suffering. May we live with resilience and bear witness to the mighty power of God!
Let us pray together!
Scripture:
42:1 O God, my soul longs for You, as a deer longs for streams of water.
42:2 My soul longs for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?
42:3 My tears have been my food day and night; people continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
42:4 I used to go with the multitude, leading them to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise, as everyone celebrated the feast. When I remember these things, my heart is overwhelmed with sorrow.
42:5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for He helps me with His smiling face; I will yet praise Him.
42:6 O my God, my soul is downcast within me; therefore I remember You from the land of the Jordan, from the heights of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
42:7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and breakers have swept over me.
42:8 By day, the LORD will show His steadfast love to me; at night, I will sing and pray to the God who gives me life.
42:9 I will say to God—my Rock: “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
42:10 My enemies mock me, as though crushing my bones, continually saying to me, “Where is your God?”
42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him. He is the glory of my countenance and my God.
