Hope and Praise Cycle

Psalm 42

Despair is the enemy of endurance. The writer(s) of Psalm 42 certainly knew despair; most lines practically ring with it. However, the chorus of the psalm in lines five and eleven takes the running theme and flips it on its head. In the midst of despair hope shines through as the key to endurance. And what promotes this hope? Praise. When confusion and despair are weights on the soul, praise should be the Christian’s first response. And the hope that arises will only promote more praise. 

Questions for further thought:
1. How does praising God lead to hope in Him?
2. Why would hope lead to endurance?  

​Challenge: Write out the chorus of Psalm 42 and place it somewhere you will consistently notice. Good places could be next to your computer, on your dashboard, or the corner of your bathroom mirror. Let this mantra suffuse your life this week: “for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”