A Message of HOPE in Difficult Times.
She turned to me and said, "I had so much planned for 2020. There was so much excitement for this new year. Now what? Can we just go back to life ten years ago? Everything was better than, and now there's no hope."
My heart broke as I heard her words. I just wanted to tell her everything would be alright. "This, too, shall pass." But that's just Christian-eze, isn't it? Have you ever been comforted in hard times when someone says, "This too, shall pass.”?
While the words are true, I haven't ever felt comforted when someone says them. So I fought back the words and just listened and tried to give her some a message of hope through God's Word.
Psalm 77 is a very fitting Psalm considering our current circumstances. We are definitely in a "day of trouble." We aren't sure what the future holds. We don't know the permanent impact Covid-19 will have on our lives or our children's lives. We don't know if we will get our jobs back or if life will return to "normal." If there is such a thing as "normal." With all of this uncertainty, economic crises, and health crisis trouble has found us.
Trouble found Asaph as well as he penned the words to Psalm 77. We don't know the circumstances surrounding Asaph at its writing. Maybe that is the beauty of this Psalm. It is a lament suitable for anyone who is going through a "day of trouble."
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN
The heading to Psalm 77 says that Asaph is writing to The Chief Musician. The chief musician was the master or director of the sacred music of the sanctuary (1 Chronicles 6:31), but the chief musician is also a picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As Charles Spurgeon so eloquently penned, "Jesus is chief everywhere, and in all the holy songs of his saints, he is the Chief Musician."
Friends, in your day of trouble, our Chief Musician is always there waiting to hear our prayers, cries, laments, or complaints. Too often, we pour out our laments to a spouse or best friend. We air out our complaints on social media. We "vent" our fears or worries around the water cooler. But Asaph didn't do any those things. He went directly to The Chief Musician and laid the worry at his feet.
Your life is a masterpiece, a great Symphony of Praise, and The Chief Musician is orchestrating your symphony. (Ephesians 2:10) In the day of trouble . . . go to Him.
While there is nothing wrong with talking to a Pastor, advisor, spouse, or friend about your day of trouble, they aren't writing your Symphony of Praise. People will come into your life to play a part, a measure or two, even a solo, or a duet. But the Chief Musician is conducting your Symphony and guiding you in the song of your life. He knows us better than anyone else, and HE will keep us in our day of trouble.
SIGHING.
"I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me! When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help. You don't let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray! I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now." - Psalm 77:1-6 NLT
As you read that passage, we see that Asaph is having a moment of SIGHING. To sigh is to emit a long, deep, audible breath expressing sadness, grief, tiredness, or a similar feeling. Asaph's day of trouble has caused him to sigh deeply. In the ESV, the word “I” is used nine times. “Me” and “my” is used twelve times. That's a lot of ME, MY, and I!
And you know? That's okay to go to The Chief Musician and pour out your heart. Sometimes, there will be a lot of me, my, and I because that's what sadness, grief, and exhaustion do - they focus you inward. Asaph is crying aloud to God. He is in deep trouble. But in that deep trouble, He searched for the Lord. He prayed. He lifted his hands and surrendered.
This is the posture we need in our day of trouble, Friends.
Surrender.
Prayer.
Deep cries to the Lord as we search for Him in trouble.
But what happens when we do all of those things and are not comforted? Asaph goes on to say that even though he prayed, cried, and surrendered, his soul was not comforted, and he could not sleep because of the trouble. In fact, Asaph says that when he thinks of God, He moans! He longs for God's help, for the good 'ol days, and for nights that were filled with joyful songs.
You can feel the grief, the sadness, and the sighing. Friends, many of us are there with Asaph. We have lost sleep; we don't want to pray; we are not comforted when we do pray, and our sighs are deep and long. We long for the good 'ol days and remember when life was better.
Sighing to the Lord is okay . . . for a season.
Pouring out your heart and immersing yourself in grief is okay . . . for a season.
Not feeling comforted and longing for the past is okay . . . for a season.
Me, my, and I is okay . . . for a season.
But, we can't stay there, because our sighing soon turns into sinking if we are not careful.
SINKING.
"Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? And I said, 'This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.'" - Psalm 77:7-10 NLT
The more his thoughts turned to I, Me, and My (see vs. 1-6), the further away Asaph went from who God is. As Asaph focused solely on himself, he begins to question God's character. You may ask yourself some of these questions from time to time. I know I have. "Your Word says you are faithful, but God, I feel like You've rejected me. Your Word says that You show steadfast love, but I feel like Your love is gone forever. Your Word says You are full of grace, but have You lifted your graciousness off of me?"
The more we focus on us, the further we find ourselves sinking into the black hole of despair, eventually forgetting who God is & what He has promised. Our sighing turns to sinking when we fail to remember that our God is God. He is unchanging, & even in our day of trouble, He will never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)
After sinking into verses 7-9, there is a word in the margin that is key. SELAH - stop. pause. rest. consider.
Asaph stops in questioning God's character. He dries the tears & sees that if the Lord brought him to this day of sorrow, he will go through it. "I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. Not the moments, nor the hours, nor days of a few short afflictions, that his left hand hath dealt to me: but the years of his right hand; those long, large, and boundless mercies wherewith he hath comforted me." - Thomas Adams.
Friends, if your sighing has turned to sinking and you have begun to question God's unchanging character . . . Selah. Take a breath. Stop the whirlwind in your mind and take a moment to pause. Remember the years that He has been good to you. Remember how His power has saved you time and time again. Remember His grace, His mercy, and His love on your life.
SINGING.
In verse 10, Asaph stops and pauses and remembers the years that God has been good and faithful. And when he stops the sighing and sinking, look what happens . . .
"BUT THEN I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph." Psalm 77:11-15 NLT
Asaph begins to sing. He turns his focus from himself to the Lord. The me's, my's, and I's turn into YOU and YOUR! Asaph's worship changed how he saw his day of trouble.
When we worship, we go from "I am so troubled. I can't sleep. Life was better for me in the good 'ol days". And we turn to, "YOU have redeemed YOUR people. YOUR way is Holy, O God. YOU ARE A GOD WHO WORKS WONDERS!"
Your worship takes your eyes off of the problems and puts them on THE SOLUTION. Worship lifts us when we are sinking and places us back where we belong - in the secret place of the Most High.
Did the day of trouble disappear for Asaph? The Word doesn't say it did. The fact is, your worship may not remove your day of trouble, My Friend, but it will change your perspective as you walk through it. The Red Sea didn't magically disappear when Israel came to their day of trouble. But the Lord made a way that they could walk through in safety as He led them.
As your sighs turn to songs and as your worry turns to worship, The God who works wonders will hold your hand every step of the way. He will guide you, and He will deliver you.
SOARING.
As we close out our study on Psalm 77, we come to from soaring and sinking to singing and soaring!
"When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths. The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook. Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there! You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds." - Psalm 77:16-20
Asaph's songs of worship turned to soaring above the day of trouble. As he remembered the goodness of God, he soared above the distress. Through worship, Asaph came to a place where he remembered what God had done for Israel. As they were sandwiched between the Red Sea and the Egyptians, God made a path through the great waters.
Take a minute today and write out five, ten, fifteen, or more ways that God has saved you in the past. How has He walked you through your days of trouble? How has He delivered you? Who has He put in your path to show you the hands and feet of Jesus during a hard time? Write it down and remember.
Soaring above your day of trouble will show you that the entire time, God has been leading you. He has been holding you. When you "saw only one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that I carried you."
We all have days of trouble, Friends. Jesus promises us that in this world, you will have tribulation. But we can be of good cheer because our Lord has overcome the world and has given us a way to overcome.
In your day of trouble, turn to The Chief Musician in SIGHING. Pour out your distress and sorrow and go to Him in prayer. But be careful that your inward reflection doesn't lead to SINKING. If you find yourself sinking and questioning God's character, SELAH. Stop and remember His goodness.
Turn your worry to worship and begin SINGING to the Lord. Tell Him how wonderful He is and sing of His faithfulness, kindness, and grace. As you worship, you change your perspective. The day of trouble may not go away, but you can find yourself SOARING above and seeing things from God's perspective. When you soar above the problem focusing on The Solution, you see that the entire time, He was leading you. He was carrying you.
With All My Heart,
ERIKA
YOUR TURN: Where do you find yourself today? Are you soaring, sinking, singing, sighing, or a little bit of all of them? Drop us a note in the comments so we can encourage each other. 👇🏼💛
