There are seasons in life that seem endless – when the nights stretch out too long, yet the morning comes all too quickly; and as thoughts spiral, every anxious heartbeat adds to the weight of fear and sadness. For many people, this struggle has a name: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, to name a few. These “moments” of despair can reach in and affect every part of our lives, clouding our minds, exhausting our hearts, and shaking our faith.
In these dark valleys of life, the words of Scripture can seem distant, our prayers can seem hollow, and our song, which should be a joyful expression of our heart’s love for God, can feel numb or even an impossible task.
This isn’t a rare experience. Research shows that around 1 in 4 Christians in the UK are living with high levels of anxiety on a regular basis, or other forms of mental-health struggles. These numbers can remind us that behind every smile and response of “I’m good, how are you?”, many are carrying unseen burdens. And this is the mindset which Satan loves to be busy at work in; whispering lies of despair to us about our sin: “Do you really believe you’re good enough to be saved? How could God possibly love someone as sinful and broken as you? You’re going to be stuck like this forever. You’ve been left on your own.”
“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day?”
Psalm 13:1-2
For many Christians, these struggles can bring deep sorrow and confusion, which may lead to questioning our faith, wondering where God is in this storm of life, or doubt whether we are trusting in Christ as we should be. Even the most faithful hearts can grow weary. Prayer may be forced, reading the Bible might as well be written in a different language at times.
For Christians of a different generation, to open up about emotions may seem like a completely foreign concept, maybe even a sign of weakness that you would run a mile from. However the Bible doesn’t shy away from revealing the distressed hearts of God’s people.
“My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all they day long, “Where is your God?…Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?”
Psalm 42:3,5
“My soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, ‘My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord’.”
Lamentations 3:17-18
Whether from the words of David, or a eulogy over the state of Jerusalem, the wrestling with despair or distress is evident. But this is not the end of their stories…or ours. Despair may shake us to our core, but it cannot shake the God who holds us.
“Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.”
Katharina von Schlegel, 1752
Finding refuge in the presence of God
Even when our life might look like it is crumbling down around us, we can take refuge in God’s unchanging presence and promises. When the lies of despair whisper to us that God is far, His Word reminds us that He is near. The Psalms are filled with the language of refuge, which paints a vivid picture of God being a shelter, a safe place, a sanctuary, in the midst of the storms of life. Psalm 46 is a reminder of that: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
The Psalmist continues to describe even when the earth is crumbling down around us and the oceans are roaring over our heads, even then, we can therefore say we will not fear. Our suffering is a reminder that we are not God, and in our sin-filled world, we will face dark, difficult nights which seem unending, and in our own strength, we certainly would be overwhelmed and lost. However, our refuge and strength are not found within ourselves, but in the very present help who walks beside us through our troubles. The one who is near to the brokenhearted, and keeps his own under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 34 & 91).
In these moments of fear and anxiety, Jesus is our only certain refuge. The one who calmed the storm and walked on the water to his terrified disciples, is the same one who faced distress and grief, and sweat drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane because he was going to bear the crushing weight of the world while he hung on the cross for our sin. This is why time spent in prayer, in song, and in Scripture is so essential in the life of a Christian. Time spent with the Lord each day provides daily reminders that we aren’t approaching a distant God who has left us to fend for ourselves, but one who can sympathise with us, because he understands our weakness, and his example in these situations was to bring it to the Father in prayer.
Our struggles and pain won’t be instantly removed, and that is never promised in Scripture. These periods of despair can be used to reorientate our hearts from focusing on ourselves, towards our communion with God. A reminder that we are not God, but every prayer and word sung to the Lord is an act of faith, choosing to not dwell in our fear, but under the shadow of the Almighty.
““Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him.”
Psalm 91:14-15
God’s promise to keep us
In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah is surrounded by devastation and grief, yet in the midst of his despair and uncertainty, he is an example of what it means to cling to what he knows to be certain and true – the promises of God. His mercy, His compassion, His unfailing faithfulness to those who belong to Him.
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:21-23
What keeps Jeremiah from succumbing to his despair isn’t the removal or the absence of the pain, but the promises of God which sustain through the darkness.
These promises are reiterated in the New Testament by Jesus in John 10:27-29:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
John 10:27-29
Jesus knows each sheep in his flock, and has promised to keep them from perishing. Both He and the Father will keep those who belong to God, even when our faith is frail. Our eternal security isn’t dependant on the strength we have to hold on to Jesus hand, but in the promise that he will never let us go.
“When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast;
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast;
I could never keep my hold, Through life’s fearful path;
For my love is often cold, He must hold me fast.”
Keith & Kristyn Getty
When our fear isolates us, His presence remains constant. When panic overwhelms us, His peace is available to us. When our mind tells us that we can’t go on, He has promised to sustain us to the end and bring us to Himself.
The response of worship through weakness
If God is our refuge and our keeper as He has promised to be, then our right response in every season of fear and anxiety, is worship. This may seem to be a difficult struggle, or near impossible when our hearts are heavy, and our thoughts are clouded by worry and panic.
But worship has never been dependant on our feelings or emotions in order to take place. It’s about who God is: his unchanging character, his eternal promises, and his proven faithfulness.
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Psalm 42:11
Even from a place of despair and deep sorrow, Psalm 42 shows the correct response of brining it to the Lord, and reminding his own heart to worship. The pain is still there, but God’s worth doesn’t fluctuate based on circumstance.
Another example of this is in the book of Habakkuk. Even through severe judgement was about to come upon Judah (for their rebellion against God), Habakkuk will continues to rejoice in the Lord and be joyful, not in his circumstances, but God his Saviour.
“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines…yet I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength;”
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Habakkuk’s ‘yet’ is a reminder that we worship because God is worthy of worship, not because life is easy.
As well as promising to be with us Himself through these difficult seasons, he has given us another amazing gift to help us through life’s trials – His church. A family of believers who bear one another’s burdens, and are dragging each other along until the race is complete. When we gather with our church to worship through song and prayer and the preaching of God’s Word, we are reminded that we belong to something far bigger than our sorrow defines us to. The voice of the saints lifting their praise to our King becomes another source of strength for the weary, it’s truth for the doubting, and hope for the despairing. When we can’t sing ourselves, we listen, and let these truths of our Saviour fill our hearts.
When we find ourselves in despair, we lift our eyes to Christ who entered our brokenness, felt our pain, bore our sin upon the cross, and conquered death. Christ has proven he is worthy of our worship but proving that death and despair do not have the final word; the Lord Almighty does, and if he is for us, who or what could stand against us.
We worship in response to the truth what Christ has done, and who God was, is, and forever will be.
“When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Horatio Spafford
The same God who walked with Habakkuk and David through the valleys of life, walks with us today. He has promised to hold us fast to Himself, and to bring us safely home. So even in the dead of night, when Satan tempts me to despair, when the words on our lips are forced – we worship. Not because life is easy, but because God is worthy and His presence is our peace.
