How did he try to encourage himself so that he might not be overwhelmed by his grief? He continues: “These things I will remember, and I will pour out my soul within me. For I used to pass along with the throng, I used to walk slowly before them to the house of God, with the voice of a joyful cry and thanksgiving, of a crowd celebrating a festival.

Ps. 42:4

Note that the psalmist reflected on the past, on a time when he was not in exile. He pours out his soul, his very being, with an intensity of feeling, and voices what he once enjoyed. This Levite recalls how it used to be in his native land when he, in association with fellow Israelites, walked to Jehovah’s sanctuary to celebrate a festival. What joy and gratitude he then felt!