The psalmist in Psalm 42 knows this feeling intimately. He asks the hard questions of his own heart: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?”
But then, he does something extraordinary. He doesn’t just sit in the despair. He instructs his own soul. He speaks truth to his own turmoil. His answer is a powerful, three-part resolution:
“Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” — Psalm 42:11 (NIV)
This isn’t a denial of the pain. It’s a declaration of faith in spite of it. The expression, “I will still praise him” signifies an inner determination and a forward-facing outlook. It’s a choice to persistently, continually, and repeatedly praise the Lord. This intentional act of praise shifts our focus from the swirling problems to God, our Savior—the One who is faithful and will bring deliverance.
To have hope in God is to wait expectantly for him. Since he is faithful to help, we can know that we will praise him again. This gives us at least a vision of ourselves rejoicing in the future, a light at the end of the tunnel.
As another psalmist declares with similar resolve: “But I will keep on hoping for your help; I will praise you more and more.” — Psalm 71:14 (NLT)
How do you Praise God in the Midst of a Storm
1. Deuteronomy 31:6
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
2. Psalm 23:4-6
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
3. Psalm 27:4-5
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.”
4. Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
5. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
🎶 When You Need to Command Your Soul to Praise
6. Psalm 34:1
“I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
7. Psalm 42:5
“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.”
8. Psalm 103:2
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
9. Psalm 71:23
“My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed.”
10. Hebrews 13:15
“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
✨ When You Need Joy, Thanksgiving, and a Song
11. 1 Chronicles 16:9
“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”
12. Psalm 100:4
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!”
13. Psalm 69:30
“I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.”
14. Psalm 149:3
“Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!”
15. Psalm 150:1-6
“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!… Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
🌱 When You Need Perspective on Suffering and Future Hope
16. Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
17. John 10:10
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
18. James 1:2
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.”
19. Philippians 4:19
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
20. Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
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