despair

Listen to this message on hope here, or via the trotters41 podcast. (21 minutes)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some excerpts and quotes:

“The prophetic poet asserts hope precisely in exile.” — Walter Brueggemann

If you’re not really feeling it. If you’re not feeling happy-clappy-Jesus-is-alive-and-all-my-problems-are-fixed, then take heart, because that’s precisely where hope lives.

“Hope expressed without knowledge of and participation in grief is likely to be false hope that does not reach despair. Thus…it is precisely those who know death most painfully who can speak hope most vigorously.” — Brueggemann

We need this reminder.

We need to remember that true hope is not just optimism. True hope is not a flimsy, fluffy thing. No, true hope, Biblical hope, sees it all. It sees the bad, the hard, the pain. It sees the depths and the darkness. It sees the world’s sin and my own sin.

And it keeps on seeing… all the way to Christ. In the end, deep hope must be securely grounded in the character and love of God.

“Speech about hope cannot be explanatory and scientifically argumentative; rather, it must be lyrical in the sense that it touches the hopeless person at many different points. More than that, however, speech about hope must be primarily theological.” — Brueggemann

“Hoping is not dreaming.” “[Hope is] a confident, alert expectation that God will do what he said he will do. It is imagination put in the harness of faith.” – Eugene Peterson

“Hope is a projection of the imagination; so is despair.” –Thornton Wilder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Psalm 130 A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.

1From the depths of despair, O LORD,

I call for your help.

2Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

3LORD, if you kept a record of our sins,

who, O Lord, could ever survive?

4But you offer forgiveness,

that we might learn to fear you.

5I am counting on the LORD;

yes, I am counting on him.

I have put my hope in his word.

6I long for the Lord

more than sentries long for the dawn,

yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

7O Israel, hope in the LORD;

for with the LORD there is unfailing love.

His redemption overflows.

8He himself will redeem Israel

from every kind of sin.

hope unsplash2

by Jonathan

This material was originally developed for a morning of reflection at Living Well, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It is shared here in the hope that it might help someone find the song in their journey…

Psalm 13
¹O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
²How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

³Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
⁴Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
⁶I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Psalm is a journey.

Today, consider traveling along with the Psalmist, slowly, finding your way in the quiet.

The writer travels through despair and unknowing, asking difficult and uncomfortable questions, and he finds himself, towards the end, finding trust and a song.

Where are you on this road? Be careful not to jump ahead of yourself, though. If you need to ask God some questions, ask Him. It’s OK.

A hasty arrival at the “spiritual” destination of rejoicing might not be honest. Joy and sorrow sometimes occur at the same time, and sometimes we sing in the middle of the unanswered questions.

Whatever the case may be, may you find Him on your journey today.

And may He find you.

¹O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?
    How long will you look the other way?
²How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
    with sorrow in my heart every day?
    How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

– Do you feel forgotten, like God is looking the other way? Do you need to cry out to Him, bravely asking hard questions?

– The word translated “sorrow” can also mean “affliction.”

– Do you have questions that God has not yet answered? Do you need to take those questions to Him again?

³Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!
Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.
⁴Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”
Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

– The Psalmist begs God to pay attention. To observe and care. He is literally asking God to make his eyes luminous again. Do you need to ask God that too?

– Do you feel like you are living in the dark? Do you need to ask Him to make your eyes luminous again?

– Do you have enemies? Are you afraid of their opinions? Could you talk to God about your fears?

⁵But I trust in your unfailing love.
I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
⁶I will sing to the Lord
because he is good to me.

– Take a minute to declare your trust today in His unfailing love.

– The word translated “rejoice” is defined as follows: “to spin around under the influence of a very strong emotion.”

– How has God rescued you? Consider making a list of the things from which God has rescued you.

– What song do you need to sing to Him today? Maybe it’s a song you already know, maybe it’s a new song waiting in your soul.

– In what ways has the Lord been good to you this week? This month? Allow those memories of the Lord’s goodness to motivate your song, your art, and your life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This song was written during the morning of reflection…