🌙 Psalms 42

Psalms 42 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.

Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.” Psalms 42 opens with these words: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.” The line to keep is Psalms 42:5: “Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.” Carry the word “despair” from that verse into the rest of the day.

The line worth learning out loud is Psalms 42:5: “Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.

What happens first in Psalms 42? Then try this: Read “Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.