The early Christian church sang Psalm 42 as a processional hymn when they walked to baptism on Easter. The forty-day period of Lent was a time of penitence and preparation: penitence for the former life of sin and preparation for belonging to the Body of Christ. Easter was the day of baptism, the day of belonging. These new Christians would walk to the body of water, be it lake or river, singing this Psalm. Then they were immersed, adopting death-to-self and rising to new life in Christ. This walk to baptism, then, is a journey toward Living Water.
Psalm 42 sings of the panting desire to be in the presence of God. Yet whenever our souls feel distant from God, the taunters will say that God has abandoned us. It is so easy for us to feel that way! In this wild world, when we feel disconnected, we’ll grasp at anything for fulfillment, and our self-made idols drain away our faith. We need to remember that Jesus is the giver of transformative life. He is the fulfillment of all the promises of God. I know that when I walk toward Him, I will feel my soul restored.
All choir veterans learn in their high school years a beautiful version of Psalm 42: “Sicut Cervus” or “As the Deer,” by Italian composer Giovanni da Palestrina. This version is sung here by the famous King’s Singers, with whom I studied last summer and sang this very piece.