In this powerful talk, Louie Giglio uses Psalm 42 to acknowledge the deep suffering many experience while equipping those with the truth of Scripture.
Key Takeaway
A tiny ray of light in the darkness is powerful.
There is no shame in struggling with mental illness.
Let's read Psalm 42 together:
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?
My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
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.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
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 must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
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
This psalmist was deeply distressed and disturbed, describing his soul as downcast (or weighed down, pressed on). A few verses later, he asks God, "Why have you forgotten me?"
Maybe you've been there. Perhaps you are there. Your soul is deeply grieved, whether it's because of the circumstances you are set in or there is a battle in your mind, and you find yourself in a place calling out to God in agony over the darkness you're sitting in.
Before we continue in this study, if you have ever struggled with thoughts of taking your own life, call or text 988. For more helpful resources, click here.
This Psalm is about honesty, but it’s also about hope.
No matter how depressed or disturbed you are, there is hope.
This psalmist leads us to understand that in the darkness, we must:
1. Seek the face of God (Psalm 42:2).
We like multitasking—settling into chairs at noisy coffee shops with our Bibles open and our cell phones lighting up next to us every few moments with new notifications.
We live in a world of distraction, and as a result, our time with Jesus suffers.
We need to move from bustling coffee shops once again to the intimacy of our prayer closets.
2. Remember God’s faithfulness (Psalm 42:4).
We become the messengers of hope and must remember what He has done.
3. Preach to ourselves (Psalm 42:5,11).
We are listening to the voices that say:
- We're not wanted
- We're defective
- We’re too far gone
- We're burdens to the world
We convince ourselves that if people only knew the real us, they would leave. We tell ourselves the world would be a better place without us and that God will never come through for us.
But we must stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves instead.
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 42:11
The psalmist asks his soul why he is downcast, speaking to himself instead of listening to his voice. He then tells himself to put his hope in God.
What are you telling yourself?
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"
You’re not crazy. There may be crazy in it, but you’re not crazy.
You’re going to make it.
You are not OK, but Jesus is OK.
4. Pierce the darkness with worship (Psalm 42:8).
Worship is a wrecking ball in the midnight hour.
A tiny ray of light in the darkness is powerful.
Let's look back to the lyrics of "I Lift My Hands" by Chris Tomlin for encouragement:
Be still, there is a healer
His love is deeper than the sea
His mercy, it is unfailing
His arms are a fortress for the weak
Let faith arise
Let faith arise
I lift my hands to believe again
You are my refuge, You are my strength
As I pour out my heart, these things I remember
You are faithful, God, forever
5. Step into the light (get help).
We have to keep making space for people on the brink of death.
If you're looking for a sign that you need to stay alive, this is it.
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
Psalm 118:17
You can get through this because there's praise in it. God will bring you out of this.
Let faith arise.
As verse 11 says, praise Him.
Discussion Questions
- Are you struggling with mental illness currently? If yes, what does that look like for you?
- Do you know someone who is struggling with mental illness? How can you be a good friend to them?
- "No matter how depressed or disturbed you are, there is hope." How does this quote bring solace to you?
- Are you meeting God in undistracted spaces? Where do you most often commune with Him?
- How has remembering what God has done in your life encouraged your faith?
- How do you make it a habit to continually remember His faithfulness in your life?
- What are the negative voices in your head telling you right now? Find scripture that counters those voices with truth.
- Louie Giglio encourages us to worship in the midnight hour. What does worship look like to you? If it's singing a song, what song reminds you of His goodness?
- How have you seen praise/worship change your heart or the heart of others?
- How can you make space for people on the brink of death in your church?
Scripture References
