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"Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance."
(Psalm 42:5)
The psalmist's problems and sorrows were many. I had long known the story behind the famous hymn, "It Is Well", but not until studying Psalm 42 did I know the rest of the story: Horatio Spafford was a wealthy and successful lawyer in Chicago, IL. He invested a large sum of money in Chicago but lost it all in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. He encountered more economic hardship in 1873. He planned to leave with this family on a ship to England but had to stay behind to work on zoning problems caused by the Chicago Fire. The ship his family was on sank and all four of his daughters died; his wife alone was saved. Horatio got on a ship and traveled to meet his wife, Anna. Near the very place where his daughters perished, he wrote the famous hymn, "It Is Well":
When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll,
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Horatio and Anna had three more children, but their son Horatio died of scarlet fever at age four. Horatio and Anna moved to Jerusalem and started a ministry called the American Colony, where they ministered to people's needs. During WWI, they had a pivotal role supporting those who suffered through soup kitchens, orphanages, and hospitals. (Source.)
The psalmist, though broken over many sorrows, knew deep down that the answer to his many woes and heartaches was God. He knows there is none other to whom he could turn, so he pours out his soul to God. His only help and salvation, as he says twice (once in verse 5 and again in verse 11), is God.
The solution to his hurt was to praise God (verse 5) and remember God (verse 6). To praise God in the midst of the storm is a sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 speaks of this: "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."
In Psalm 42:6, the psalmist declares that he will remember the LORD from Jordan and Mizar. "The mountainous region in the tribe of Dan refers to the place from which he prayed. He was apparently miles north of the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee). Yet he longed to be not on Mount Mizar (a peak in the Mount Hermon range) but on Mount Zion (cf. 43:3)." (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 825). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
When faced with insurmountable odds, with unassailable mountains, and impregnable forces, whom do you trust? We all will have to walk through some severe and deep valleys. Do not be surprised if you are discouraged by others who do not pursue the Lord in times of difficulty. They do not know Him; therefore, they do not reach out to Him. But as a child of God, you know Him! Place your hope and trust in Him.
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