Psalms 42

The first Psalm by the Sons of Korah, expressing a deep longing for God's presence. The Psalmist is distressed, cast down, and exiled from the Temple. He cries, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." He weeps constantly, tormented by his enemies who ask, "Where is your God?" The Psalmist encourages his own soul with a repeated refrain: "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance."