What do you do when you are filled with despair, when joy has been sapped, when life is not worth living, when the valley of the shadow of death is your lot, and when the voices begin to provoke you to take actions that should not be taken?

There are many counsellors and experts who know the solution. You have heard them all, “God means it for good”, “You must have done something wrong”, “Try think of the good things in life”, “Maybe God is teaching you something”, “You have friends who care”, “Maybe you should see a professional”, etc. All these things are meant well and some of them are even true, however you and I both know, they bring no comfort. With Job it leaves you wanting to cry out, “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you.”¹

The comfort you long for can be found, but generally you will not find it in human counsellors. The only true lasting solace is found in the Word of God as we come face to face with the living God.

The Psalms know both the dereliction of life and the solution. They voice the pain and misery that we feel, with its cries of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”² and “But you oh Lord – How long?”³, but they also provide the language of hope, “But you, oh Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head”⁴ and, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteosness! For you have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!”⁵

Why are the Psalms a wonderful solace and comfort? Because they bring together the reality of human emotion and the power of the living Word of God. When we hear them we hear the Word who became flesh bringing comfort to our souls. In a special way the Psalms address the desperate plea of our hearts with the comfort only God can bring.

1. Job 16:2-4 ↩︎
2. Psalm 22:1 ↩︎
3. Psalm 6:3 ↩︎
4. Psalm 3:3 ↩︎
5. Psalm 4:1 ↩︎