Why art thou cast down, my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, [who is] the health of my countenance, and my God.
Verse 11 is a refrain: the psalmist has already said these same words to himself earlier in the psalm. That repeat matters — this is not a passing mood, but a settled way to handle a soul under pressure.
A soul argued with, not indulged
The verse is a man speaking to himself. He does not deny that he is cast down; he questions it. His own experience contradicts what he believes. Even there, faith recovers its footing:
Still the conflict is real; experience is against experience. God is his Rock; and yet God has, as far as experience goes, forsaken him. He presses it on God Himself, along with the bitterness of the enemy's oppression. The enemy's taunts have no answer. They reproach him with this forsaking by God, crushing his bones with it, as he says, making his strength collapse at the thought. Yet even while he says it, faith rallies. It turns defeat into victory with its old self-rebuke, "Why are you cast down?" And he reaffirms his former confidence.
Job faced great suffering and took the opposite path:
Do we hear him taking counsel with his soul in this time of suffering? — "Why are you cast down, O my soul...? Hope in God" (Ps. 42:11). No; instead of encouraging himself like this, he accuses his Maker.
Hope in God — and nothing else
His answer to himself is not an explanation. It is God:
Here is what is permanent, what is eternal: hope in God. Hope, even though you cannot find Him. Though clouds are all around Him, and you cannot come to His seat. Though His ways are in deepest mystery. Though you could not even find a promise you could claim without doubt. He Himself is promise! In His own all-pitying love — in the goodness of His nature, beyond all we can tell or think — in Himself you can find refuge.
Losing the blessings can be the very thing that shows the worth of the Giver:
The heart of the godly pants after God. It was not merely for His blessings; they were gone. The preciousness of what He Himself was only stood out that much more vividly.
From help to health
The psalm's earlier refrain ended on a different word:
In verse 5 it is the help of God's countenance. In verse 11 He becomes the health of the countenance of the one who trusts in Him.
(Older translations read "the health of my countenance" where the ESV has "my salvation.")
Here is what that health looks like:
Here he now says, "who is the health of my countenance" and "my God." His face reflects in joy the shining out of God's face in love. Distress and the loss of everything given, even religious blessings, had thrown his heart on God. It drew him to look to Him as the only source of joy.
A song before the rescue
The praise he promises is still future. His face is not:
From this point the soul gathers itself for a flight, and a song. It says: "For I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God." You can see that the face has already brightened.
"And my God"
What begins as total loss ends as possession:
Faith then thirsts after Him and looks to Him. It pleads with the soul, and the soul says to itself: "Well, you have lost everything, but hope in God. The health of His countenance will be there, and yours will be lightened up." It ends with "the health of my countenance and my God." It comes by being weaned from circumstances, thrown on God directly, and on God as his portion too.
In the day of conflict
Writers put these words straight into the hands of any troubled believer:
There is plenty of comfort in these Psalms for the afflicted and hard-pressed Christian. "Why are you cast down, O my soul?" Such words suit reviving faith well, in the strain and heavy sadness of the day of conflict. For the fallen and despondent saint, one believing look at Christ wins back the firm and assured place of acceptance and peace.
Summary
- Question it. Faith does not scold the cast-down soul away. It asks it why, then rallies with its old self-rebuke and reaffirms its former confidence.
- Hope in Him. The one answer offered is God Himself: when no promise seems claimable, He Himself is promise.
- Losing sharpens. The blessings were gone, and their loss only made the preciousness of what God is stand out more vividly.
- His face, then yours. In verse 5 it is the help of His face. In verse 11 He becomes the health of yours, reflecting His in joy.
- Yet praise. The song starts before the rescue does. The face brightens while the trouble is still there.