Psalm 42 teaches children that they can talk honestly to God when they feel sad, and still choose to hope in him. This lesson works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
It is okay to feel sad, and God is always someone we can talk to. When we feel down, we can remind ourselves that God is still good and still with us.
Memory Verse
Psalm 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.
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart when you say “Why are you sad, my soul?” Then lift both hands up high on “Hope in God!” Do this motion with the class two or three times until everyone can say it with you.
The Story: Psalm 42 for Kids
Long ago, a man who loved God wrote a song about how he was feeling. He missed going to the big house of worship in Jerusalem, where he used to walk with his friends and sing happy songs together. Now he was far away, and he felt very lonely.
He was so thirsty for God that he compared himself to a deer searching for water on a hot day. His tears had become like his food, because he cried all day and all night. Some people even mocked him and asked, “Where is your God now?” That hurt his heart very much.
The man talked to his own soul like a friend. He said, “Why are you so down? Why are you so troubled inside?” Then he gave himself an answer: “Put your hope in God, because you will praise him again.” He was reminding himself of who God is.
He remembered God’s kindness during the good times, even from faraway places like the river Jordan and the hills near Mount Hermon. He said that his troubles felt like huge waves crashing over him, but he trusted that God would still send his love during the day and give him a song at night.
The song ends the same way it began. The man asked God why he felt forgotten, and then he told his soul once more, “Hope in God, for I shall still praise him.” Even on a sad day, he chose to trust God and keep singing.
Read It Together
Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
(WEB)
Point out how the writer compares his need for God to a deer that is desperately thirsty. Ask the children what they think it feels like to be that thirsty and how we can feel that same kind of longing for God.
Psalm 42:8
The LORD will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.
(WEB)
Show the children that God’s love and song are with us in both day and night. Explain that this verse tells us God is with us at all times, even when we cannot see him.
Psalm 42:11
Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.
(WEB)
Notice that the writer repeats his message to his own soul. Help the children see that repeating encouraging words to ourselves is a helpful way to remember that God is still worthy of our trust.
Talk About It
- What is something that makes you feel sad sometimes?
- How did the writer of this psalm talk to his own heart when he was feeling down?
- What can you tell God when you feel lonely or worried?
- Why do you think the writer remembered the good times he had with God?
- What is one thing you can do the next time you feel sad to remind yourself that God is with you?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Thirsty Deer
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a deer near a stream of water, with blue lines for the water. Talk about how the deer longs for water, just like we long for God. Let the children write one word on their picture that describes how they want to be close to God.
Hope Dance
You do not need any supplies for this game, just an open space to move. Teach the children the memory verse motions from earlier. Then call out “sad” and have them slump down, and call out “hope” and have them jump up and raise their arms. Repeat several times, mixing up the words so that children remember to move from sadness to hope.
Family Hope Jar
You will need an empty jar, slips of paper, and a pen or pencil. Ask each family member to write one thing that makes them sad on a slip of paper, and one way they can trust God about it. Fold the papers and place them in the jar. Pray over the jar together once a week and read one or two papers aloud as a reminder that God hears us.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Psalm 42 shows that faithful people can feel deep sadness, loneliness, and even doubt, and still bring those feelings honestly before God. The psalmist does not pretend to be fine. Instead, he speaks to God directly and then reminds himself of God’s past faithfulness, choosing hope as a deliberate act of trust.
Be careful not to promise children that sadness will always disappear right away, or that praying will remove every hard feeling. Let them know that God is with us in sad seasons, and that it is normal to have feelings that take time to heal. Focus on God’s presence and faithfulness rather than a quick fix.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you that we can talk to you about everything, even when we feel sad or lonely. Help us remember that you are with us day and night. Teach us to put our hope in you and keep praising you, no matter what we feel. Amen.
