Psalms for Hard Times
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Introduction
What do we do when times get hard? To what, or to whom do we turn? And if our answer is “to God,” then how? When times are hard, when we are fighting depression, when everything we are attempting doesn’t pan out....in what way do we approach God?
In what manner do we pray? How do we sing to Him during those times? What mood, what vocabulary, should we approach Him in and with?
This is one area the Psalms serve as beneficial to the Christian.
Over the next few Lord’s Days, we plan to look at a few Psalms together. Psalms is both the prayer book, and the song book, of the people of God.
It teaches us how to pray as individuals; it teaches us to pray as a congregation of believers.
It teaches us how to sing to God as individuals; it teaches us how to sing to God, and to one another, as a congregation.
The Psalms have served God’s people, both in the OT and the NT, by providing the vocabulary for us to go before God. It is a large volume, made up of 150 psalms.
This large volume is broken down into 5 smaller volumes. Book 1 of the psalms goes from ; Book 2 spans from Psalm 42-72…and so on
Within those volumes, you have different types of psalms for different types of settings
You have royal psalms, often written about the earthly king who was reigning....and often pointing beyond that king, to the King of kings who would come one day.
; or
You have Psalms of Ascent, that the people sing as they make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the scheduled feasts and sacrifices.
You have Psalms of thanksgiving and praise....praising God for who He is, and thanking God for all He’s done for them…His people.
You have Psalms of confession, offering up the acknowledgement of sin on behalf of the one confessing (individual or congregational), often attaching a prayer to God for forgiveness and repentance and help
And you have Psalms that deal specifically with the question I opened with this morning… What do we do when times get hard?
The Psalms that help us greatly with that question, are Psalms of Lament
They are written, either from an individual perspective, like the one we’ll consider today…or from a corporate perspective, dealing with the whole of God’s people together.
Lament Psalms reassure God’s people of the trustworthiness of God, providing vocabulary to voice concerns and cry out to God....when all seemingly goes wrong.
When tragedy strikes the home
When enemies falsely accusing me
When enemies literally seek to take my life as I follow God’s Word
When our spiritual enemy seems stronger than usual
When depression strikes us for no reason…when depression strikes us, with valid reason.
Psalms of lament can be used to cry out honestly to God, in the midst of intense suffering, asking Him for help, and being reminded to trust Him completely.
There are a lot within what is referred to today as Christianity, that seeks to ignore suffering. Some go as far to say explicitly, that it is never God’s will for you to suffer. That is simply not biblical at all.
The reality is, sometimes, things are going to be awful. You’ll be floating in the midst of a sea of awful circumstances, feeling as if you’re taking on water, soon to go under.
One crowd says, forget what you’re feeling and remember God is sovereign
Another crowd says, overcome what you’re feeling, access your faith and get out of those bad circumstances, because they aren’t God’s will
But throughout Scripture, and especially in these lament psalms, we are taught to cry out honestly about what we’re experiencing, while trusting God completely.
That is what does for us today as well. Turn there if you haven’t already. This is a Psalm of David…and from it we can learn this truth: IN INTENSE TRIALS, CRY OUT AND TRUST GOD.
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
As you can see, this is a Psalm of David. It is written from an individual perspective, unlike some of the other corporately worded laments. We don’t know the exact setting, possibly while he was running from King Saul.
It is written from the perspective of an individual, but notice it has this in the title, “To the choirmaster.” It was written, for the purpose, of arranging with music for the corporate worship of God’s people.
This isn’t one that will probably make it on K-Love. I’m sure it won’t be positive and uplifting enough for their tastes.
But this is a song written from an individual perspective, set to music, for the whole congregation to lament together.
“What if not everyone was lamenting in individual circumstances?” If one is…all are.
And in our singing, there should be rich content....that as we sing, we are teaching and admonishing one another. The Psalms teach us that by their rich content....and we are then commanded that explicitly in the New Testament.
The instruction and admonition this Psalm gives us....is that when we are in moments of intense trials, we cry out to God in honest desperation.
And it is by His truth, He will lift our eyes off of our despairing situation, and onto Himself, the all-powerful, covenant-keeping God.
So then…in intense trials…cry out, and trust God.
And we can see that clearly as we work through the details of this Psalm. The Psalm itself divides easily into three sections…or stanzas: 1)The Questions; 2)The Prayer; 3)The Trustful Proclamation
Let’s look first at David’s questions.
1. The Questions
1. The Questions
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
How long? Until when? Until what point? This is the question that is repeated 4 times in the first 2 verses.
You can immediately sense the frustration and weariness in David’s voice. He is not coming to God in the midst of a season of blessing that he doesn’t want to end. The season of life he’s in, he sees no end to it…and he’s wondering “how long?”
NOTICE THEN THE QUESTION CONNECTED TO THIS FIRST QUESTION....
Will you forget me forever?
Notice the sense of abandonment. “God, it seems you have neglected me. Forgotten me. I’ve been left here alone.”
And his question to God is this, “Will it be like this forever?”
In …David expressed grief over what seemed like all other people abandoning him. But now…he says, GOD has abandoned him.
James Montgomery Boice said:
“Can anything be worse than that? It is hard to think so. When Jonah was trying to get away from God, he thought that being abandoned by God would be desirable. But when he was thrown into the sea, was swallowed by the great fish, and finally did sense himself to be abandoned by God, he found that he did not like the feeling at all. He compared his state of abandonment to Sheol or hell and cried out in distress, asking God to save him (cf. ).
In David feels himself to be alone, in the sense that godly or faithful persons seem to have disappeared.
This is what David was feeling....that he was all alone. God Himself, was not walking with him, blessing him, strengthening him.
David is expressing a life marked by the very opposite of the blessed life. All the blessings seem to be now withheld. Which is the meaning behind his next question.
How long (until when) will you hide your face from me?
God’s face being upon someone, is a sign of His blessing upon them
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
But here, David asks… “How long will you hid your face from me?”
1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
The blessings of the Lord have seemingly been removed from his life
Then verse 2 provides us with more of David’s questions.
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Alone…David feels that he has to keep looking inwardly, to his soul, to seek counsel.
And in his heart…David has sorrow, grief, agony, “all the day.”
The wording seems to imply “in the dawning of the day” meaning, throughout the night, and into the next day…or “every day”
How long do I have to look inwardly to find out what to do? How long do I have to have this gnawing, painful agony eating me alive inside, each and every day?
And on top of all of that.... “How long, will my enemy be exalted over me?”
David was following the Lord…yet…his enemy prospered, while he seemed to fail in the eyes of men. How long, will this be the case? Until when, will this injustice seem to prevail?
This is raw honesty before God. This is expressing exactly what the soul is feeling, thinking, experiencing.
This is real pain being really expressed to the real God. This is an honest cry from a weary heart, in the midst of intense trials.
And he is not rebuked for it.
He cries out, with what he is feeling, and so should we. Because brothers and sisters, you’re either in these times right now…or they’re on the horizon.
Apply
And they come in many shapes and sizes.
How long, will I struggle in this family crisis?
How long, will I struggle in my career?
Maybe you remember days in your spiritual walk, where you could easily chart your spiritual growth....but those days are no more. For months you’ve felt like the spiritual victories that use to come in rapid succession, just aren’t coming like they used to.
And you’ve been so long without the apparent blessing of the Lord upon your spiritual walk, that you’re wondering, “how long?”
“... the lack of blessing has continued for so long that you have become morbidly introspective. You have been dredging up past sins and have been wondering, “Is God punishing me for what I did then? I confessed the sin and believed he forgave me. But maybe he is bringing it up again and putting me on hold because of it.” In extreme situations you may even think, “God has abandoned me forever.”” ~Boice
the lack of blessing has continued for so long that you have become morbidly introspective. You have been dredging up past sins and have been wondering, “Is God punishing me for what I did then? I confessed the sin and believed he forgave me. But maybe he is bringing it up again and putting me on hold because of it.” In extreme situations you may even think, “God has abandoned me forever.”
And if this is where you are, there’s nothing wrong with being honest with God.
How long Lord? When will this long, dark tunnel…finally end with a shining bright light?
We can even think on a larger scale and wonder, “How long Lord, will you allow this false gospel to be propagated? Will you allow the truth to fall into the streets, while the lie is eaten up by the masses?
One, always check your motivation…it’s good to be cautious
Two, it is only murmuring and complaining, if that’s where it stops
Israelites complained to Moses, about God, “He led us out here to die in the wilderness.” This is only an accusation against God.
There’s no understanding that this is only, “how I feel;” nor is there a prayer offered for God to change the circumstance; nor is there an expression of, “we’ll trust Him regardless.”
In humility, like David here, in your intense trials, go to God honestly and bear your heart. God invites this....in fact, He has given you the vocabulary to use.
We see the questions…secondly...
2. The Prayer
2. The Prayer
2. The Prayer
2. The Prayer
The only reason David’s questions aren’t the same as the murmuring and complaining of the Israelites in the wilderness, is because of what motivated David’s prayer, and because of his ongoing trust in God throughout the situation as demonstrated first by the fact that here, he actually prays.
We too must always check our motivation....it’s good to be cautious.
Because, our honest questions become murmuring and complaining, if we they stop with only, “God, this is where I am, and it’s because you’re not here.”
Two, it is only murmuring and complaining, if that’s where it stops
Israelites complained to Moses, about God, “He led us out here to die in the wilderness.” This is only an accusation against God.
Israelites complained to Moses, about God, “He led us out here to die in the wilderness.”
There’s no understanding that this is only, “how I feel;” nor is there a prayer offered for God to change the circumstance; nor is there an expression of, “we’ll trust Him regardless.”
No…there was only a complaint
But for David, his honest questions from his broken heart, leads him to a desperate crying out to God for help.
3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
3 Requests, essentially asking God to do, everything David has just openly said he feels God wasn’t doing already
Consider: Look; behold
David feels as if God has abandoned him…as if God’s face has been hidden from him. So David’s prayer is, “Turn Lord. Look at me. Behold me. Let your face be upon me again.”
Answer me: reply to me
God, who he is feeling like has abandoned him, if true, would no longer be responding to him. So…David’s prayer: respond to me
Answer these questions I’ve presented
Light up my eyes
Meaning probably, that the predicament David was in, was threatening his physical life, and he knew God was the only One able to bring life to him…which is the essential meaning of “lighting the eyes” (lest…he sleeps the sleep of death)
It could also be a prayer for spiritual illumination, but that doesn’t seem to fit the flow and context....
If it is a prayer for spiritual illumination, then the prayer is similar to praying for wisdom in the midst of trials and suffering
But regardless.... “I’m soon to go under…save me”
David continues to pray...
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
If God were not to “lighten his eyes,” David is concerned that his enemies, God’s enemies, will declare they have prevailed over David…thereby allowing an earthly victory for a demonic foe, because David would have been shaken.
Three requests.... Consider; Answer; Save
And oh the depths of all we could learn from such a prayer. This is the turning point in the psalm. The cry of the desperate broken heart, moves to praying to God…which then leads to the declaration of trust by David.
Apply
And the same movement has to be true of us. If we want to claim, “Well David asked tough questions, so can we,” which is true…we must be consistent and take it further, “David cried out to God, with actual prayer, actual requests being made.”
If you’ve served God for any length of time, you know those seasons…where you feel literally driven to your knees by the weight of the trial.
Where you are broken hearted; you are overwhelmed; you cry out
We know what it’s like to cry, “Lord I’ve sought you for direction, but I’ve received none. I’ve asked for this, but it hasn’t come. It feels like you aren’t hearing me.”
But we must then move to asking God to move. We must PRAY
Illustrate
The church has certainly failed to teach doctrine and theology…that is clear, and thankfully it’s being exposed. But one area that seems to still be under the radar, is the church has failed to teach young Christians, how to pray.
Jesus taught, healed, walked on water…but the disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Spurgeon’s sermons were used by God to convert thousands....but the people present during the meetings would testify, that they’ve never heard a man pray that way.
Mueller was known for his bold, confident prayers.
It’s something isn’t it…when you’re convinced of God’s sovereignty, you have more confidence when praying to Him.
David was convinced…David prayed. And he writes a psalm to help others pray and sing prayers to God as a gathered body of believers.
We must move beyond our questioning, to praying. Our:
How long will I go without your blessing? How long without your direction? How long will my previous prayers go unanswered?
Must become...
Lord, grant me your blessing. Lord, grant me direction. Lord, answer my prayers.
In prayer, God takes our eyes off of our problems, and places them on Himself. When all doors seem to be closing, one remains open.
The hymn writer writes:
“When all things seem against us,
When all things seem against us,
To drive us to despair,
We know one gate is open
One ear will hear our prayer.”
Are you in an intense trial? Cry out honestly to God from where you are.
Are you in an intense trial? ASK God…pray to God....with actual requests…He hears, He will answer.
David is in an intense trial…and he asked tough questions; he then prays specific prayer. The Questions; The Prayer; Thirdly....
3. The Trust
3. The Trust
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
David makes a declaration.
He is in despair; in agony every day. He has no clear direction forward from God.
But in this despairing moment, his turning point comes as he cries out to God to move.
He is in despair…but his trust; his reliance; his confidence....is in God’s “steadfast love.”
hesed: the word itself means “loyalty or faithfulness” and is used in the OT often to note God’s love that is related to faithfulness to His covenant
So for example, when Israel is freed from Egypt at the Red Sea, and Pharoah and his army is drowned....the Israelites sing a song of rejoicing in God…and one line reads...
13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
They recognized, they were delivered by the power of God…because of the covenant keeping love of God.
In the midst of severe trials, we cry out and trust in God....why? Because His love for His people is a never failing love, and He will always remain faithful to His covenant.
This is one reason among many that studying the covenants, and covenant theology, isn’t a waste of time....it roots us in an understanding of WHO God is and what He has done…and what He will do, in the salvation of His people.
This is what helps the overwhelmed, weary heart of David…
It was as if in prayer, he was reminded of the One to whom He was speaking.
David is reminded of who God is, and this takes his weary heart, and directs his droopy eyes off of the despair around him, and onto the covenant keeping God who is all-powerful and always faithful.
And then it leads him to look to another declaration…look back in verse 5
5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I know, that my heart, that is right now in agony every day…will rejoice, when your deliverance comes
Here, he’s either making a declaration of what he will NOW do…or he’s looking to the future, confident of God’s future actions to deliver him.
“How long will you abandon me?” Went to, “Don’t abandon me.” To, “I know you’ll always be with me.”
We get no inclination that the answer has already come…but we do get the insight that his eyes are now on His covenant keeping God…His faithfulness and love
It has gone from, “I feel you’ve abandoned me,” to, “I have trusted, will rejoice, and will sing.”
In the original, each of these stanzas are actually shorter than the one before it. So stanza one, with the questions, is 5 lines…stanza two with the prayer is 4 lines…and stanza three, with the declaration of trust is 3 lines.
Franz Delitzch said, “This song, as it were, casts up constantly lessening waves, until it becomes still as the sea when smooth as a mirror, and the only motion discernible at last is that of the joyous ripple of calm repose.”
“This song, as it were, casts up constantly lessening waves, until it becomes still as the sea when smooth as a mirror, and the only motion discernible at last is that of the joyous ripple of calm repose.”
Think of the song we just sang a few moments ago....
“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.”
“Pastor, they just had something we don’t.” I hope not....because what they had, was faith. Faith that comes from God as a gift. Faith or trust, that is placed in HIM. Not in ourselves, or in our circumstances.
6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The past actions of God, cause David to make a present declaration, despite his present circumstances
I will sing to the Lord..now…because He HAS dealt bountifully
The word conveys a sense of completeness…the Lord has blessed me in the fullest measure imaginable already…therefore, I’ll sing to Him
If there is anything that should convince us of our need to study deeply into doctrine and theology, it is Psalms like these.
It is a reflection of all of God’s past actions in his life (which a deep reflection would have to go back beyond his life)…and a full acceptance of God as He has revealed Himself, as the faithful covenant keeping God....that causes David to declare, “I will rejoice…I will sing.”
It’s not a feeling that overwhelms him during corporate worship that moves him to “I will rejoice…I will sing.”
It’s not a deliverance from his problem…but observance of His Deliverer that transformed his outlook.
He needed a perspective change, not a circumstance change.
Horatio Spafford, in his great trial, wrote those words because he reflected upon Christ’s finished work on Horatio’s behalf....and that is how every child of God, sings and rejoices and continues to trust God…even in the midst of crying out to Him in pain, desperation, and trust.
It’s because they are reminded God is the FAITHFUL, covenant-keeping God!
This is true throughout the New Testament.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Are you suffering? Is it painful? It can’t be compared to the glory coming. Look to Christ! Remember His work on your behalf!
How could Paul rejoice while in prison? By looking to the Lord…so he would tell the Philippians
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Peter doesn’t deny that pain is real for the christian....he simply looks beyond it, to the reigning Lord over the pain.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
How can people be grieved by various trials, and at the same time, rejoice with joy inexpressible and filled with glory? Because their rejoicing is in the Lord…and their confidence being in the Lord, causes them to realize, that even their trials, are precious.
Closing Application
Now quickly, let me give you 4 clear ways to apply this.... that has gone somewhat unmentioned up to this point....
Sometimes, you aren’t in these moments....when you’re not, pray for, and encourage, those who are
To the unbeliever....Christianity is not a religion that you come to for your problems to be alleviated
It fully acknowledges there will be pain and suffering. It’s not something we’re seeking God so that we can move beyond…it just is.
The problem is, if you’re not truly a believer…then your suffering is useless and pointless. You have no hope that it’s working for your good…you have no hope that good is coming at the end of it…in fact, quite the opposite.
The only thing you have to look forward to, is the fiery judgement of God
Unless today, you hear God’s voice through His Word…and you turn from your sinfulness and to Him for salvation.
Turn to Jesus..believe that He lived, died, and rose from the dead all in your place to earn you salvation…and you will be saved!
We’d love to talk more with you about that.
To the believer who is stuck in the questions portion of the psalm
Meaning…you go to God repeatedly, but all you say is, “How long Lord? I’m still waiting.”
A word of extreme caution....if your honesty before God stops at a cry of frustration, and doesn’t lead to prayer and renewed trust…those are dangerous signs
Dear brother…dear sister....cry out to Him and ask that He would transform your heart
Ask God to visit you in your low place: “consider me, answer me, lighten my spiritual eyes…cause your face to shine upon me.”
To the believer afraid to be honest with God in prayer…remember that your King, is also your Father
And He is not like many earthly fathers who have not been good; kind; compassionate
He is THE Father who has no equal in His steadfast love; His covenant keeping, faithful, powerful, never-failing love…for His children
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Brother…sister…wherever you are this morning, you don’t have to be afraid to be honest with Him. He sees you…and your trust in Him will be made evident by crying out to Him.
And as you look upon Him as the Word reveals Him....your perspective will change to having in view, not your problems that are causing your despair…but the One true God able to, and who will, deliver you.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
Conclusion
Psalms gives us vocabulary for prayer and singing.
Lament psalms give us vocabulary for these two things, in the mist of intense suffering and trials.
So…when you are in overwhelmingly hard times, or congregationally we see hard times abounding around us....we can, and should go to God. We should cry out honestly. We should pray. And we should trust Him.
Prayer
Prayer
Father,
Let’s remind ourselves today, as we close in song, of our faithful covenant keeping God, who will hold us fast!