FINDING HOPE IN A HOPELESS SITUATION

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. -- Psalm 42:5

When I read this verse, my initial thought was to take the psalmist at face value. He posed the question to himself obviously angst-ridden over why he was so discouraged. Surprisingly, he mustered enough gumption to praise the Lord Most High. I had to wonder what caused him to be so "downcast?" Then I realized, isn't that how most of life's stories are played out? It's one thing to take situations at face value. It's another when you turn over the proverbial rock and unearth some pretty interesting developments.

In the Quest Study Bible (NIV), this particular chapter in Psalms was possibly written by David (though it isn't certain). "Most likely [the writer] was exiled far from Jerusalem, causing him to mourn the fact that he no longer could lead in worshiping God in the temple. Worse, in a foreign land and surrounded by foreign gods, he felt cut off from the presence of the Lord." If we go with this premise written in the side-column notes, we can infer a great many things. The writer was (1) having to adjust in a foreign land under foreign rules and customs (verse 9: I say to God my Rock, "Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"); (2) not allowed to publicly worship God as he was accustomed in his own land (verse 2: My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?); and (3) expressing deep sorrow and inward distress over his somewhat hopeless situation (verse 10: My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long "Where is your God?").

It's a wonder anyone could stand under the powerful weight of separation from God both physically and mentally. Circumstances appear hopeless. The writer expresses a sense of deep despair. He is literally alienated and exiled from what had once given him his greatest joy and comfort. Yet through the hopelessness, beyond the Jordan River within his captivity, he finds in the depths of his soul hope. Hope defined is "the feeling that what is desired is also possible or that events may turn out for the best." Even in Proverbs 13:12, God's word tells us that "hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." God further provides us with an ultimate word of encouragement that leaps off the pages in Isaiah 40:31 -- "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Even in a hopeless situation, hope is possible!

With such wonderful encouragement, why would this psalmist -- and may I add, why would we -- be so downcast even when the situation appears hopeless? Today, all it takes is a layoff with no employment prospects in sight, a close friend or relative dying, a spouse openly confessing their infidelity or maybe a child sharing that they were just "born that way." Sadly, our hope is only misplaced if we find ourselves more overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation and not more encouraged by the hopefulness our God brings to it.

Our unknown writer knew that in order to rise above, he had to search for the One deep within -- "deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life" (Psalms 42:7, 8). In a hopeless situation, it takes more than just a pat prayer (although the simple, one-word prayer, "HELP!" works wonders). God calls us from the depths and meets us there when we respond deeply. Our situation requires no leisurely-serene walk on the sea shore only to stumble into God's footprints by accident. We must be wholly deliberate in our quest, blindly trusting of His great and precious promises and brutally honest with Him in our heart's cry.

Yes, we're human and it's okay to feel what we do. But as I once heard, we should never become enslaved to our feelings. They should act as a rudder that helps to steer the boat God has provided in helping us stay above the waters of our situation, not as an anchor weighing us down ultimately causing us to lose sight of God's truth and to lose hope in Him. Remember, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created" (James 1:17, 18). When you find yourself in the depths of a hopeless situation, rest assured that our Savior will be found and that you can put your hope in Him.