Psalms 77:2 KJV
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
It is a terrible place to be when our souls refuse to be comforted. Sometimes, regardless of the best efforts of friends, family and other sources of help, our troubles are so extensive that there just seems to be nothing that can help.
We hear the comforting words, but we are not comforted.
We appreciate the visits of the concerned, but we are not comforted.
We are exposed to the promises of God, but we are not comforted
The Psalmist goes so far as to say that his memories of God troubled him and that he complained (presumably to God).
He could not sleep
He could not speak
He was overwhelmed
So what helps in times like that? Well first of all, when we get like that we have a tough time accepting any help and especially help that requires personal motivation. But once we come to the place where we are ready to fight the depression this Psalm does come to our rescue.
First, the Psalmist considered the days of old
vs 5
Something about meditating upon what God has done leads to hope about what God will do.
Second, he remembered his song in the night.vs 6
He remembered those times when he had reason to sing. He spoke with his own heart about what God had done and he forced himself to make a diligent search of those past blessings. Sometimes, when we are most down, it is a huge struggle to remember times when we were not down. He made his spirit do the work of remembering
Third, he appealed to the Lordvs 7-9
Couldn't he experience God's mercies once again? Of course he could!
Fourth, he came out of the depthsvs 10-20
Though his infirmity was real once his eyes were upon the Lord things changed in his soul. The mood of these last ten verses is upbeat and hopeful.
All of us go through down times. Some of us stay in them much longer than we need.
This Psalm can be a huge help!
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.
It is a terrible place to be when our souls refuse to be comforted. Sometimes, regardless of the best efforts of friends, family and other sources of help, our troubles are so extensive that there just seems to be nothing that can help.
We hear the comforting words, but we are not comforted.
We appreciate the visits of the concerned, but we are not comforted.
We are exposed to the promises of God, but we are not comforted
The Psalmist goes so far as to say that his memories of God troubled him and that he complained (presumably to God).
He could not sleep
He could not speak
He was overwhelmed
So what helps in times like that? Well first of all, when we get like that we have a tough time accepting any help and especially help that requires personal motivation. But once we come to the place where we are ready to fight the depression this Psalm does come to our rescue.
First, the Psalmist considered the days of old
vs 5
Something about meditating upon what God has done leads to hope about what God will do.
Second, he remembered his song in the night.vs 6
He remembered those times when he had reason to sing. He spoke with his own heart about what God had done and he forced himself to make a diligent search of those past blessings. Sometimes, when we are most down, it is a huge struggle to remember times when we were not down. He made his spirit do the work of remembering
Third, he appealed to the Lordvs 7-9
Couldn't he experience God's mercies once again? Of course he could!
Fourth, he came out of the depthsvs 10-20
Though his infirmity was real once his eyes were upon the Lord things changed in his soul. The mood of these last ten verses is upbeat and hopeful.
All of us go through down times. Some of us stay in them much longer than we need.
This Psalm can be a huge help!
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