The Psalms in a Season of Discouragement

Scripture Reading

Psalm 61 NIV84

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David. 1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. 4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah 5 For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations. 7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him. 8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

Introduction

We are told in the Scriptures that there is no experience in this life that is not common to man. In 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul writes that “No temptation has seized you, except what is common to man.” We all go through trials, difficulties, disappointments, struggles and heartache. These experiences are common to man.

This fact, however, often doesn’t provide much hope to believers. We also find that most Christian’s do struggle very well! Although these things are common to man, and have been through the millenia, we still find it difficult to process our struggles in the midst of them. But if we come to the Word of God, and if we learn to rightly divide the Scriptures, and correctly apply them to life, then I am convinced that, by Gods grace, we will be equipped to endure the struggles of life.

As we look to the Psalms this evening, I want to focus our attention on the application of the Psalms in a season of discouragement. How are the Psalms able to guide us and provide insight as to what can be done for our encouragement and benefit, for the glory of God, when we come into a season of our lives that is filled with discouragement, and a sense of helplessness and hopelessness?

The Psalms certainly do help, and we will consider Psalm 61 in order to see how the Psalmist responds in such a time of hopelessness. There are five things that the Psalmist does as he finds himself in ths place of discouragement. We will consider these 5 things that he does, and through them see how we might also respond in a time of discouragement in our own lives.

Firstly, we see that...

1. He Cries out to God (v.1)

In verse 1, we find the Psalmist begins his song to God with these words...

Psalm 61:1 NIV84

1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

The first thing that we see as the Psalmist is engulfed in a sea of uncertainty and a time of great discouragement, is that he cries out to God. He raises his voice to God and pleads that God would hear his request.

Notice that that through the very language of this Psalm, the Psalmist is greatly distressed. He is not merely talking to God. He is not merely saying to God that he’s having a rough day. Rather, he has reached a point of such trial and struggle and difficulty, that he is literally crying out to God.

So often in our own lives, we think that we are enduring suffering when someone says and unkind word. We think that we are suffering because we don’t have the comforts that we’d like in life. We think that we’re suffering because we’re having to get up early on a Saturday morning, rather than sleep in. Our idea of suffering is a sad one indeed!!

But so often in the Psalms the Psalmist was writing from a place of deep pain and hardship. This particular Psalm doesn’t speak about what the Psalmist was enduring, but very often in the Psalms, the kind of suffering or discouragement that was being endured was as a consequence of a very threat on their life.

Examples....

The fact is, God allows his people to descend far into places of discouragement. But this does not mean that God has abandoned his loved ones, or that he does not care for them. Psalm 23 speaks about walking through the valley of the shadow of death. So far had the Psalmist descended, that he felt that death was surrounding him.

And we need to be aware, dear brothers and sisters, that there are times and seasons of life in which God, in his great providential love and care, will lead us to those places where our experience is one of deepest blackness and despair. But we must not think that God will not or is incabable of delivering us. In fact, it is in such places of despair, that God is so often pleased to work in order to demonstrate his own power in the midst of our clear inability.

And so, here is the Psalmist, in a place of deep discouragement and despair, and he cries out to God.

Friends, when we reach a place of deep despair, we are indeed to cry out, to call out to God, and to plead for him to hear us!

But notice what the Psalmist doesn’t do - he does not accuse God. There are no rash words spoken against God for allowing him into this situation. He does not accuse God of unfaithfulness, or of breaking covenant. There is not evidence even of hatred or animosity before God.

Rather, the posture of the Psalmist, at least in this Psalm, is one of humility before God.

That is seen further as we go on in this text to consider the second thing that the Psalmist does, and that is that...

2. He Confesses His Weakness (v.2)

As the Psalmist cries out to God, he says in verse 2...

Psalm 61:2 NIV84

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

The first line of the verse indicates that this Psalmist finds himself in a place that is far away from God. He is experiencing a great distance between himself and God, and he feels the weight of this isolation. If this Psalm was written during the period in which the Israelites were in captivity, then he is feeling the sense of removal from Jerusalem, where God in a peculiar sense dwelt among his people Israel.

It is well known that when you travel to a foreign country, you are often left with a sense of isolation. Most who travel abroad need to adapt to the new culture in which they live. They sense the distance and removal from their home, from those they love, from the environment in which they were comfortable.

In this case, the Psalmist is feeling his sense of being away from God. He says that he calls out to God from the ends of the earth - from the furthest removed places. Such is his deep sense of isolation.

We as people are often in that place of loneliness. One Commentator writes...

Psalms, Volume 2: (Psalms 42–106): An Expositional Commentary Psalm 61: The Rock that Is Higher than I

Life is filled with sorrows, and there are times when there is no one to whom we can turn for understanding, comfort, or help. Some people spend most of their lives alone. Others are surrounded by an unsympathizing family, perhaps because these others are not Christians and resent the believer’s convictions and lifestyle. Some have an unbelieving husband or wife, or they may be resented by people at work. Others have simply grown old, and all their friends and relatives have died. Whatever the cause, many know what it is like to have no one human to whom they can turn for understanding.

We all have these moments in life, and so did this Psalmist. And he confessed his own weariness and weakness before God.

He says to the Lord that he calls upon him as his heart grows faint.

It is as if this Psalmist has reached the end of his ability to continue. His strength is sapped, as in the heat of summer. He is weary and despairing. I’m sure you can relate to this in your own life. You’ve endured much hardship through a particular situation. You’ve been trying everything within your power to continue. You’ve heard all of the motivational talks. You’ve heard the pious platitudes that are supposed inspire a sense of self-confidence and hope. But no matter what you’ve tried to do, you come to the end of your strength, and you’re left with a sense of the fact that here is just no hope.

It’s precisely such a situation that ought to drive us to God. And this is where the Psalmist finds himself. Having acknowledged that his heart is growing faint, he goes on to say...

“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

In this one line, the Psalmist confesses that he is weak and lowly, but there is one that is high and exalted, and one that is sturdy and stable. He is asking God that He would lead him to rely upon God’s strength and fortitude in the midst of his struggle.

Notice that David says here that the rock is “higher” than himself. This was not a mere expression of God being a little greater than him. David, as he wrote this Psalm, was probably ruling as king over Israel. He occupied the highest position in the land that anyone could offer. But even this highest and most exalted position in the nation could not bring him the strength, the hope and the respite that he so desperately needed. Even with all his wealth and fame, he was a man that experienced weariness.

We need to keep this in mind ourselves. We so often think that life would be so much easier, so much more pleasant, if only we had this or that. If only we could get a promotion. If only we didn’t struggle so much in our finances. If only we could have certain things.

David had just about the most that you could gain in this world, and yet he continued to experience suffering and hardship. He needed to look upward in his circumstances in order to gain hope and strength in his world.

But we must also consider this reference to God being the rock. As David writes this Psalm, he would have had in his own mind the many rocks and crags that were common in the Judean wilderness. It was these rocks that would provide a safe place for David to hide away from Saul as he had pursued him in order to take his life. The rocks were solid. They were firm. But they were also a place of hiding and refuge.

And so David calls upon God for him to lead him to the place of safety, solidity and refuge.

Is God your rock? Is he the one to whom you are looking for strength and fortitude? Is he the one that is stable and firm, a hiding place in the day of trouble? Dear friends, in our moments of discouragement, we are not to lose heart, and to descend into unbelief. Rather, we are to look upward to God, and to acknowledge that he is our rock, and pray that he would lead us to know his very presence and power.

Notice thirdly from our passage,

3. He Confesses God’s Character (vv.3-5)

At this point, David goes on to confess the proven character and goodness of God.

In verse 3 he says...

Psalm 61:3 NIV84

3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

The Psalmist knows and confesses from past experience that God has indeed already proven to be a refuge to him. The faith that is placed in God is not a blind faith, or a baseless faith. It is a faith that is rooted in the very character and nature of God that has been revealed through God’s actions towards his people.

The Scriptures are indeed filled with evidence and proof that God works, and he does so powerfully. God is the one that has proven to be a refuge. It was he who heard the cry of his people Israel, and delivered them from the hand of oppression and injustice. It was he who led them to the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

God has repeatedly demonstrated his great faithfulness through the course of history by leading, guiding and protecting his people. There is no doubt about this. Ultimately, he provided a Saviour for the world. God entered into humanity through Christ, and came to save his people from the power of Satan and sin. He has proven to be a strong tower against the foe.

David, in his own experience, had to confess that God had proven to be a refuge. Such is true for us. The question we must ask ourselves is, do we confess this before God in the midst of the discouragements of life?

Yes Lord, we are enduring a season of great discouragement. Our hearts fail us. Our strength is gone. But you have proven to be a place of refuge. David confessed the character of God, in recognising the fact that he is a refuge. But he goes further...

Psalm 61:4 NIV84

4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Selah

The image of God being a place of refuge is developed further with different metaphors. Firstly, he speaks of dwelling in God’s tent. Most properly, this would refer to being in the presence of God in his own dwelling place. Psalm 27:4 gives this picture most clearly for us...

Psalm 27:4 NIV84

4 One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.

David moves this picture from the rocky crags of the barren wilderness, to the warmth of the dwelling place of God, where his people would be able to gather together and seek Him.

David was longing for a nearness to God, to be in his very presence. In Psalm 16:11, the Psalmist declared that “In your presence is fullness of joy.” This is what the Psalmist here confesses. To be in the presence of God is the source of comfort and hope.

He takes this further in this verse by bringing across the picture of a young bird sheltering under the wings of its mother. This is an even more personal image for David. He speaks here as if there is a personal relation with, or connection to God. He wants to be sheltered under God’s wing - against the very breast of God, where he can be comforted and kept safe.

The Psalmist confesses that the only true source and place of refuge and consolation, the only true place where he may be fully comforted, is when he is in close relation with God himself.

Is this your cry? When you are discouraged, do you turn your eyes to God, and do cry out to him, that you would be brought under his very wing, so that he would console you and comfort you. This is truly the place that we should seek in our times of discouragement.

In verse 5 of this passage, we see a further confession

Psalm 61:5 NIV84

5 For you have heard my vows, O God; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Notice fourthly with me...

4. He Calls upon God’s Promises (vv.6-7)

In verse 6, David begins by praying to God.

Psalm 61:6 NIV84

6 Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

David is essentially praying here that God would increase the days of the king that rules over Israel. Some have suggested that these words were added later, since they do not beleive that David would pray this for himself, as he was king.

But that is not necessarily the case. The reality was that God had promised even to David that there would always be a king to rule God’s kingdom....

2 Samuel 7:12–13 NIV84

12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

And so even in this Psalm, as David is subjected to some form of difficult circumstance that is causing him this discouragement and weariness in his life, he goes back to the promises that God has made, and asks of God that he would increase the days of the kings life… and even his years for many generations.

We must see within the midst of this cry, that the Psalm is ultimately a call for the Messiah to reign forever. Verse 7 says...

Psalm 61:7 NIV84

7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

The only king that would be enthroned in God’s presence forever is the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Indeed, while David was pleading with God for his own cause, that he himself would be allowed to rule and reign, ultimately, David was asking for the promise to be fulfilled that God had given him concerning the kingdom to be established forever.

Just to bring this to our own context - the point that we must recognise through this, even in our own season of discouragement, is the fact that God is faithful to his promises, and we are to call upon God on the basis of His promises to us. Charles Spurgeon said this about calling upon God according to His promises in Scripture:

Never let the promise rust. Draw the sword of promise out of its scabbard, and use it with holy violence. Think not that God will be troubled by your importunately reminding him of his promises. He loves to hear the loud outcries of needy souls. It is his delight to bestow favours. He is more ready to hear than you are to ask. The sun is not weary of shining, nor the fountain of flowing. It is God’s nature to keep his promises; therefore go at once to the throne with “Do as thou hast said.”

David here calls upon the promises of God, and pleads, in this moment of discouragement, for God to act in accordance with that which he has promises.

What a great salve for the soul this would be to us. We are called to take up the promises of God in faith, and to trust him to work. And we may be sure that he will be faithful to do that which he has promised.

Finally, we see from this text that...

5. He Commits to Obedience (v.8)

In verse 8, we read...

Psalm 61:8 NIV84

8 Then will I ever sing praise to your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

The Psalmist has no intention of seeking God, of calling upon God to fulfil his vows, so that he can be delivered, only to turn away again from the true and living God. Rather, he affirms the fact that he will rightly continually sing the praises of God, and that he will fulfil his vows to God, day after day.

Dear friends, what an important point this is for us to recognise and apply to ourselves.

Our God is indeed worthy of our praise, even in the midst of the season of discouragement. But particularly when we find deliverance by God. Although David was cast down in his soul, he acknowledged that he would sing praise to the name of God. We must consider that even as at the beginning of this Psalm, David felt himself to be far removed from the very presence of God, as he dwelt upon this subject, confessed the character of God, and called upon the promises of God, his heart was moved to a place of worship and exaltation of God.

When we rightly turn our eyes upward and acknowledge God, we will by consequence sing the praises of God that are due his name. It ought to be true of us. Augustine once wrote...

Psalms, Volume 2: (Psalms 42–106): An Expositional Commentary Enduring Praise for God

“They that are godly are oppressed and vexed in the church or congregation for this purpose: that when they are pressed, they should cry; and when they cry, that they should be heard; and when they are heard, that they should laud and praise God.”

But further than this, David commits himself to fulfil his vows, day after day. As a king, he would have taken vows to lead the people of Israel faithfully and in accordance with the law of God.

Our vows are those made when we profess Christ as Lord, and declare that we will follow Him! Dear friend, have you made a vow to follow Christ? Any of you who are in Christ, and having gone through the waters of baptism, have declared to God in a public demonstration that you have repented of your sin, and have placed your hope and your trust in Christ your Lord for your salvation. Such a declaration is further a declaration of obedience and submission to Christ. It can be no other way!!

As such, we are to fulfil our vows to God, to follow Him; to live in obedience to Him; to proclaim Christ, in both word and deed; to live lives that are worthy of the calling that we have received.

This is no burden, dear friends, but rather a great delight!

Application / Conclusion