Psalm 42:11: Hope in God While Still Despairing
Psalm 42:11 gives a believer permission to be honest about despair and then turns that despair into a conversation with his own soul. The sorrow is still present when hope is commanded.
Psalm 42: Hope and Despair in One Voice
Psalm 42 puts hope and despair in the same mouth. The singer names his longing, remembers past worship, tells God he feels forgotten, and then turns to command his own soul to hope.