Despair and Anxiety

 

 

"Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God." (Psalm 43:5)

 

 

There are many reasons why a person might experience despair and anxiety. One of the reasons is being abandoned by someone we love. For instance, when we feel abandoned by a beloved spouse, we experience despair and anxiety. I believe the same is true for children. If children feel abandoned by their loving parents, they cannot help but feel despair and anxiety. But what would happen if we, as Christians, were to feel that we have been abandoned by our Heavenly Father?

In Psalm 43, the reason the psalmist felt despair and anxiety was because he felt abandoned by God. He cried out, “You are the God of my strength; why have You rejected me?” (v. 2). The psalmist, who was suffering because of the actions of the "deceitful and unjust" (v. 1), was in sorrow due to the oppression of his enemies (v. 2). In the midst of this suffering and sorrow, he felt that God, his strength, was not rescuing him. Because God's salvation seemed delayed, the psalmist felt as though he had been forsaken by God.

In response to his despair and anxiety, the psalmist made this plea to God: “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle” (v. 3). Despite the darkness in his heart due to the deceitful actions of his enemies, the psalmist looked to God’s light for guidance. He longed to reach his blissful God and to praise Him (v. 4).

When we feel abandoned by God, we too experience despair and anxiety. When God’s deliverance seems delayed in the midst of suffering and adversity, we become disheartened and anxious. Especially when we feel that God, "the God of my strength" (v. 2), is no longer rescuing us from the oppression of our enemies, who are ungodly, deceitful, and unjust (v. 1), our hearts can easily become filled with despair and anxiety.

At such times, like the psalmist, we must speak to our own soul: “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God…” (v. 5). We must speak to our soul, saying: “Look to God! Don’t be anxious or despairing anymore!” We need to cry out to our soul to look to God, our Helper. When we do this, instead of being filled with despair and anxiety, we will begin to praise God.

 

 

 

Wanting to praise God by looking to Him even in the midst of despair and anxiety,

 

 

Pastor James
(With the desire to be someone who, rather than struggling in anxiety and despair, learns to seize those opportunities to long for God)