Psalm 77:4: You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
Have you ever felt so low or been in so much pain – be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual pain – you felt you couldn’t even open your eyes or couldn’t utter a single word of anguish? We’re talking serious pain – real despondence. This is what the writer of today’s verse is expressing. As a believer in God, there are only two places to go when you’re in such pain.
The first place to go the writer references in verses 7-9 of the same Psalm, “Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?” The first place most suffering believers’ flesh go to when he/she is in serious pain is questioning the goodness of God and His loving character. The writer is feeling God has abandoned him, that God know longer favors him, and God is even angry with him. Sound familiar? Have you ever gone to the point in the midst of your suffering calling out God’s character?
What’s the underlying message or fear in the writer’s lament? His concern is the fear God has changed His mind about His opinion of the writer or His true character from the God that he came to know in his better times or had read about in Scripture. Where do you think the writer got those thoughts and fears? – Satan. From the time he first came on the scene in human history, Satan has been challenging the truth of God’s Word – if He really means what He says. When you’re suffering, the devil will use every weapon he can to dismiss the truth of God’s love for you and seek to replace the truth with the lies that He has changed His mind about you or has abandoned you.
What does God word say the truth is about God? Numbers 23:19: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (NIV) Malachi 3:6a, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” Deuteronomy 31:6c, “He [the Lord] will not leave you nor forsake you.” You might say, ‘That’s all well and good that God doesn’t change – that He doesn’t change His mind about me – but what am I to do with this suffering? I need help NOW!’
The writer gives us the second place to go in verse 11 of Psalm 77, “I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.” He encourages the believer to remember the obvious goodness of God, the love of God, and the power of God in the past. If the above verses are true – that God’s character and attitude towards His children don’t change – then the writer is prompting us to remember what was true before about God, remains true about Him now and forever. This is very wise advice.
Yet, when you’re in pain, you want deliverance. You know God has the power to heal you, but despite your prayers, He has chosen not to heal you at this moment. Our flesh screams out, ‘Why?’ Perhaps what’s going on is God, in His desire to reveal more of Himself to you – more of His goodness and His love for you – is allowing the pain and suffering in hopes you will seek His presence more – that you will surrender your pride and will more. Without the pain and suffering, we’re likely not seeking God as aggressively or passionately. To be sure, God takes no joy whatsoever in your suffering, but He is not above allowing it to present an opportunity for the truth of Who He is and the truth of His love for you to be revealed in a more powerful and life-changing way.
Are you in pain? You have two places to go: 1) you can listen to the devil and start questioning the God who saved you through His Son? Or, 2) you can look to the same God who revealed Himself to you by saving you through His Son and consider the possibility in your pain He’s seeking to reveal more of Himself to you and bring healing beyond what you know you need. Which option offers more hope?