I hate writing what I’m going to write, because I hate
sympathy. I’m proud. I usually keep my thoughts to myself. So if you continue reading, don’t comment or
call me. That’s embarrassing. Just pray for me and secondly realize that
what I’m doing right now is the best therapy in the world: studying God’s Word
and applying to me.
That’s right I am discouraged. I’m feeling disheartened. For a few days now I have been going, “Why
are you downcast, O my soul?” “Hope in
God!” But Psalm
77 has grabbed my heart; and I think we are in tune.
I don’t know who the writer is. It may be Asaph, but the way
the superscription is written, that is not necessarily he that authored it. It
is a lament. It sounds like bagpipes out
of tune. Like me, right now, at 1:00 a.m. in the morning he describes his
sleepless night. He tells us of the
struggle he has to find answers. “When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out
untiring hands, and I would not be comforted” (Psalm 77:2, NIV). This is not the first
time he went through this Slough of Despond.
And the last time God didn’t seem to come through then, either. Phoned, but it just rang busy! So what’s the deal, God?
““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?”” (Psalm 77:7–9, NIV)
Oops, change of plans: “Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal . . ..’”[1] He starts to recall God’s character and God’s
past actions on behalf of Israel. I was
surprised. If I had been teaching
Counseling 101 I would have said, “Think about all the great things God has
done for you.” Not this anonymous
songwriter! He sees God working
corporately and across history.
Did it
help? Not sure! He doesn’t say. But two things that I see in this Psalm is
that the writer is left with a sense of ‘awe’.
Awe is awe. It’s just a
mouth-dropping look. “. . . What god is
as great as our God?” [2] And secondly, we are left with the ‘absence’
of God (sort-of). “Your path led through the sea, your
way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen”
(Psalm 77:19, NIV).
You probably recognize where the author of “Footprints”
got his or her inspiration for their poem.
The authorship seems disputed, but we are all familiar with the poem and
the wonderful ending:
He whispered, "My precious child, I love
you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings.
When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."
It simply isn’t our privilege to know all the ins and outs
of how God leads. We are simply (Oh,
that’s an understatement!) to trust HOW He leads.
So what did Asaph (or whomever) teach me about being dejected? One, think about what God is doing for other
people; Two, think about who God is; and Three, a sense of God’s absence can be
uncomfortably safe.
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