Do good & godly people ever become
discouraged, depressed -- or filled with despair?
Have you? -- Have you ever been filled with
despair?
Have you ever been so troubled that you
endured sleepless, restless nights?
Have you had times when you were so low
& troubled -- that no one could comfort you?
Have you ever been so down & discouraged
that you felt like giving up -- feeling your life was a total failure.
Have you ever prayed & felt like the
Lord had stopped listening?
More than likely -- many of us could shake
our heads "yes" to these questions.
It may surprise you to learn that you are
not alone in such feelings.
In fact these deep, dark trials have been
experienced by many of God's choice servants!
Charles H. Spurgeon -- is known as one of
the godliest Bible expositors of all time!
He was a faithful pastor & a prince of
preachers in
He was a praying man who sought the Lord
continually.
And yet he also faced deep, awful depression
-- or melancholy -- as a result of his ongoing battle with gout that finally
killed him at age 58.
John Fletcher is another example of a
servant of God who suffered with deep depression.
He ministered under none other than John
Wesley -- who called Fletcher the most godly man on
the face of the earth.
The
presence of Christ was so powerful in Fletcher's life that often his friends
fell silent when Fletcher walked into the room.
This godly man just oozed -- & leaked --
the very Spirit of Christ.
Yet John Fletcher also experienced awful
depression.
A horrible melancholy would come upon him
out of nowhere -- afflicting him for days on end -- for which there was no
rational explanation.
Let me give you still another example.
The night was dark & foggy -- as a man
walked from his house to the cobble-stone street -- his step determined &
relentless -- but his face -- had anyone been able to see it in the dark -- was
tear-stained & weary.
As he reached the street -- he looked both
ways -- seeking for the lantern of a horse-drawn,
The man muttered: -- "There's nothing!
-- Am I too late? -- But no! -- I must end all tonight! -- And the river it
must be!"
Then -- in the distance -- he detected a
hazy light -- slowly enlarging.
Almost whispering -- the man said bitterly:
-- "God, you provided me no comfort -- but here you provide the cab to
take me to my death!"
"Where to?"
-- asked the cabbie -- when he stopped.
"
"A cold night it is, sir; -- what sort
of business have you at the Bridge at this hour?" -- But the man said
nothing!
The cabbie ended his attempt at conversation
-- & set off toward that well-known destination --
But the fog became thicker & thicker --
so that the cabbie could not see even his horse's nose.
What should have been a 20 minute ride lasted
an hour -- & still there was no sign of the river -- or the 600 year-old
bridge.
The cabbie stared into the fog --
desperately looking for some familiar sign. -- Suddenly -- suddenly the fog
lifted!
The passenger -- startled from his gloomy
stare -- looked to his right & saw -- to his amazement -- his own home.
The cab -- lost in the fog -- had circled
back to the very place he began the journey.
The passenger cried out: -- "My God! --
You have answered me!"
Later that night -- by his
own fireplace -- this man -- William Cowper -- one of
That same night -- two centuries ago --
William Cowper penned this great poem: -- God moves in mysterious ways
His
wonders to perform;
He
plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Ye
fearful saints, fresh courage take!
The
clouds ye so much dread;
Are big
with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge
not the Lord by feeble sense.
But
trust him for his grace;
Behind
a frowning providence,
He
hides a smiling face.
Psalm 77. --
If you feel discouragement in your life -- it may help you to know that
this Psalmist understood just how you feel -- & he wrote about it.
Psalm 77 is a lament -- Like so many of its
kind it begins in the shadow of sorrow & despair -- & rises to the
sunshine of song!
Psalm 77 is a Psalm that helps all of us regain perspective -- in times of depression -- by offering
us some lessons that reestablish our spiritual & mental equilibrium.
Discouragement & depression eventually affects
us all -- no matter what may be our state of grace.
Elijah -- God's iron man of the Old
Testament -- became so discouraged that he sat under a juniper tree -- &
prayed to die.
The Apostle Paul had so many difficult
experiences in
Even Jesus Himself had His Gethsemane
experience -- & according to
The man we meet in Psalm
He was looking at life through dark colored
glasses.
He felt forgotten & forsaken by God
Himself.
He couldn't sleep! -- He couldn't articulate
his thoughts because of emotional exhaustion. -- He was tired all the time.
He lived in the past -- longing for a day
that had long since passed by.
He remembered when he was happy & had a
song in his heart; -- but no more; -- & he couldn't seem to get back there
no matter how hard he tried.
The Psalmist is saying: "God, I’m hurting down here! -- I'm
confused! -- I'm not sure that I'm doing life right! -- How about some help,
God?"
That's what I like about the Bible! -- It
speaks to everyone's need!
The Bible is a very honest book! -- This is
the wonderful thing about the Word of God. -- It never glosses over human
problems.
It does not hide from us the troubles that
are part of our lives.
The Scriptures plunge right into the depths
-- right into the heart of human experiences.
This Psalm is telling us of a man who is in
deep trouble.
Have you been in that situation? -- Are you
in that situation now?
Some of you may be saying: -- "That is
my experience, exactly! -- That's just what I have been going through."
Then -- my friend -- this Psalm is just for
you!!
As we move through this Psalm -- may we look
closely & observe how the Psalmist moves from Despair to Peace!
From Despair to Peace -- that is the story
of Psalm 77.
1. The Sorrow! -- (77:1-2)
Listen to the cry of his heart & soul in
verses 1-2: --
"I
cried out to God for help; -- I cried out to God to hear me.
When I
was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused
to be comforted." (NIV).
That sounds to me like a cry of sorrow &
despair!
We don't know the source of his difficulty
-- he just calls it "the day of my trouble" (
But he is desperately seeking the Lord in
the midst of his trials.
We are never told in this psalm what the
trouble is.
Perhaps it was a personal disappointment of
some kind -- as many of us experience from time to time when we have our hearts
set on something -- but it doesn't work out as we thought it would -- & it
leaves us absolutely crushed & wounded with disappointment.
Perhaps it is a sorrow that had come into
his life; -- maybe he was dealing with the death of a loved one -- or the
parting of a friend -- or something that has utterly crushed his heart with
sorrow.
Perhaps it was some defiling experience that
he had gone through -- something that he stumbled into without realizing what
he was doing -- & he found himself caught up in things that made him
utterly ashamed of himself afterwards.
Sometimes -- life can be so confusing &
exhausting that we can't even speak -- or put thoughts together in a way that
makes sense.
In those times -- dear friend -- cry out to
God -- even if all you can do is shake your head in bewilderment -- & shed
a few tears!
Not long after the Gulf War -- real-life
hero General Norman Schwarzkopf -- the U.S. General -- appeared on national
television -- in an interview with Barbara Walters.
In the course of that conversation --
something touched him deeply.
The eyes of this four star career soldier
glazed over -- & tears formed.
Ms. Walters -- with well-practiced bluntness
-- said: -- “Why, General -- aren't you afraid to cry?"
Stormin'
Perhaps the greatest thing you can do to
begin to find healing in times of despair -- is to allow yourself to access
your emotions.
Stop acting so touch! -- Allow life to
soften you -- to cause you to act gently -- to recognize that you need
God.
2. The Searching! -- (77:3-9)
In the hour of his extremity -- the Psalmist
commences his search for God. -- He writes: -- (vr. 3) “I remembered you, O God,
& I groaned;" -- (vr. 6)
"I remembered my songs in the night.-- And my heart mused & my spirit
inquired" (NIV).
At that point the Psalmist begins to ask God
some rather searching questions -- & in doing so he invites you & me to
ask our deepest questions to God.
My friends -- don't be afraid to ask God the
hard questions!
God welcomes them; -- God does not resent
our asking -- nor our sincere searching! -- So go ahead & ask God the hard
questions!
Six questions tumble from the Psalmist lips
in vs. 7-9.
"Will the Lord reject forever? -- Will he
never show his favor again?
Has his
unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his
promise failed for all time?
Has God
forgotten to be merciful?
Has he
in anger withheld his compassion?" (NIV).
These are honest questions of one who is
trying to understand the meaning of what he is going through.
These are genuine heart cries -- & yet
rhetorical in that they clearly demand negative answers.
These are questions we may find ourselves
asking too.
They are forced out of our heart when we go
through hardship & pain.
The questions are interesting -- because in a
sense they answer themselves.
Are God's promises no longer valid? -- Has
the flow of His mercy stopped? -- No, no, no!
Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego didn't
think so!
These three young men -- probably not more
than 20 years old -- did not bow down before the golden idol that
Nebuchadnezzar set up.
So the Emperor calls them before him &
asks them: -- "What God can deliver you out of my hand?" (Daniel
3:15).
These three young men were faced with the
same choice the Psalmist is faced with. -- Can God take care of my problem?
Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego were faced
with a choice.
They had to decide: -- "Do we believe
in God regardless?"
How did they respond?
They answer this most powerful man in the
world with these words: -- "Our God is able to deliver us: -- but even if
he does not -- let it be known that we are not going to serve your gods” (Daniel
3:17-18).
They chose to believe God regardless of
their circumstances.
And that is what this Psalmist is being
asked to do; -- that is what we are often asked to do in the midst of our
troubles & trials.
Do we believe God because of what He does
for us -- because of His blessings -- or do we simply believe God because of
Who He is?
And that question brought the Psalmist to a
point of total surrender.
3. The Surrender! -- (77:10-12).
Verse
10 is the pivot on which this psalm turns from a description of an experience
of darkness & despair -- to one of gladness & praise.
Verse 10 divides the psalm into two parts.
The first part tells of sorrow overwhelming
the soul.
The second part gives a song which is the
outcome of a vision that has robbed sorrow of its sting.
In the first part there is no song.
In the second -- a great song pours itself
out -- & sorrow is forgotten.
The difference between the first part &
the second part of this psalm -- is a man brooding over trouble -- & a man
seeing high above his troubles & seeing God on His throne!
He writes in vr.
In the first half of the psalm -- self is
predominant.
In the second half -- God is seen in His
glory upon the throne.
There is a shift here from self-centeredness
to God-centeredness!
A very simply observation of the psalm makes
this perfectly clear: -
In verses
In the second half -- there are only 3
personal references -- & 24 mentions of God.
The message of the psalm is that to brood on
sorrow is to be broken & disheartened -- while on the other hand -- to see
God is to sing on the darkest day!
Once we come to know that our lives are in
His right hand -- there is light everywhere -- & the song rises &
ascends.
When I am absorbed in my problems -- it's
all about me.
When I turn my attention Godward -- there is
less about me -- & more about Him!
The questions asked in verses
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will
meditate on all your works & consider all your mighty deeds" (NIV).
There is a real sense of resolve &
purpose in these verses -- as the Psalmist surrenders himself totally to God's
way & God's will.
My friends -- when we have reached the low
point in life & hit bottom -- the best thing we can do is to totally
surrender everything into God's almighty hands. -- Only in complete surrender
can we find victory & joy!
The
only direction from the bottom is up! -- Yield yourself totally to Him!
4. The Sovereignty! -- (77:13-20).
Notice how the Psalmist recognizes the
Sovereignty of God in the words of verses
And then he recounts how God parted the
waters of the sea -- to allow His people to cross over on dry ground!
Vr.
Vr.
In the parting of the water at the
As the Children of Israel left
But God met them in that very spot! -- God
showed up just at the right time! -- God parted the waters & delivered
them!
How many times has God done that for you?
Totally hemmed in with no place to turn --
& God shows up -- & like a Shepherd -- leads you gently out of your
mess.
Have you ever had this kind of an
experience?
I think it is a rather common one among
Christians.
My friends -- God can do anything -- but He
always does the right thing! -- Recognize & accept His all wise
Sovereignty!
The reality of my troubles can never
contradict the greatness of God!
When we are full of despair -- Peace comes
from a total & complete surrender to the full will of an all wise Sovereign
God in our lives!
Conclusion:
There you have it -- the steps of moving
from Despair to Peace!
The sorrow; -- the searching; -- the surrender
-- to recognizing the Sovereignty of God Almighty!
Problems are a part of every life!
These emotions -- these feelings of being
abandoned by God -- & of God not answering our prayers -- will come.
If you haven't experienced them -- I can
promise you that you will at some point in your life -- probably at multiple
points in your life.
God tells us in
Because God is so far above us -- so much
greater than us -- He is mysterious to us at times.
It is for that very reason that we cannot
fathom -- we cannot under-stand the way a mysterious God works in our lives.
Was God there all along for this Psalmist?
Yes! -- All night long while he was crying
out -- God was there!
But for God's own sovereign purposes -- God
chose not to remove that sense of despair -- that emotion from the Psalmist.
Perhaps the Psalmist needed to learn to
trust God when the circumstances didn't warrant that trust.
My friends -- if you hold a problem closely
-- & you focus on that -- what do you see?
You see everything through the lens of that
problem!
But the Psalmist has demonstrated for us how
we can pull back from the problems -- & get a proper perspective -- as we
move from despair to peace!
There is a sense in which every Psalm is
Messianic -- pointing the way to Jesus Christ! -- Psalm 77 is no exception.
Jesus is there in your
He's there walking you through your past
blessings.
He's there while you grapple with life's
hard questions.
He's there to help you regain equilibrium
when chaos has broken loose in your life.
He's there to help take you through the
toughest problems.
He wants to be your Deliverer. -- Why don't you yield to Him today?
In times of despair -- we just need to break
out in the old Fanny Crosby hymn & sing: --
All the
way my savior leads me;
What have
I to dread beside?
Can I
doubt His tender mercy,
Who
through life has been my guide?
Heavenly
peace, divinest comfort,
Here by
faith in Him to dwell!
For I
know what'ere befall me,
Jesus
doeth all things well;
For I
know what'ere befall me,
Jesus
doeth all things well.
Pastor
Lyle W. Pettit
Wynne
Chapel --
www.wynnechapel.org