I love how God’s word addresses the pain and suffering of this broken world! One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 77. There have been times I felt as if I could have written the first part of the psalm myself. It says,
“my soul refuses to be comforted” (v.2)
“When I remember God, I moan” (v.3)
“When I meditate, my spirit faints” (v.3)
“I am so troubled that I cannot speak” (v. 4)
“Will the Lord spurn me forever, and never again be favorable?” (v. 7)
“Has his steadfast love forever ceased?” (v.8)
“Are his promises at an end for all time?” (v.8)
“Has God forgotten to be gracious?” (v. 9)
“Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” (v.9)
WOW….yes, I have definitely felt that! Have you been in a place that has caused you to ask, where is God? Does he not love me? Does he not hear my desperate cry? Why isn’t he ending my pain? Living in a broken world brings so much heartache and seems so unfair.
But what did the Psalmist do? He doesn’t stay in that place of despair. Instead, he makes the choice to fix his eyes upwards. He writes,
“I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High” (v. 10)
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord” (v. 11)
“I will remember your wonders of old.” (v. 11)
“I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds” (v. 12)
The psalmist reminds his soul of who God is. He writes, “your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph.”
A question to consider is, what are you preaching to yourself in moments of despair? Our feeble souls need to be reminded of who God is and what he has done.
My favorite part of that psalm is at the end, “When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out like water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side…Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (v. 16-20)
We experience heartache in this world as people wrong us and we wrong others, while our bodies fail us and our hearts grieve over circumstances out of our control. Take heart, brothers and sisters in Christ, for we belong to the One who has overcome the world. God knew we would face many trials and tribulations and in his graciousness, he has given us what we need in order to walk through the dark valleys.
Our suffering on this earth should create a longing in us for our eternal home, where every tear will be wiped away and every wrong will be made right. (Revelation 21:4) Hallelujah, we serve the one who has defeated death and sin. For believers living in this broken world, this is the closest to hell we will ever have to be! Praise the Lord for that!