The Soul That Thirsts
For the director of music. A wisdom psalm of the sons of Korah.
Cut off from the temple and taunted with 'Where is your God?', the singer remembers leading the festival crowd he can no longer join. Twice he questions his own downcast soul, and answers it the same way: hope in our Father, I will praise him again.
42 1As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my Father.
2My soul thirsts for my Father, for the living Father. When can I come and appear before him? 3My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
4These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of our Father, with glad shouts and songs of praise, a great crowd celebrating.
5Why are you downcast, my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in our Father; for I will praise him again, my salvation and my Father.
6My Father, my soul is downcast within me; therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have swept over me. 8By day our Father commands his covenant love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the Father of my life.
9I say to my Father, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go around mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" 10Like a deadly wound in my bones, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
11Why are you downcast, my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in our Father; for I will praise him again, my salvation and my Father.
