How to Find Hope in Distress

Daily Devotional – Sunday, January 22, 2023
And I said, “This is my anguish but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
Psalms 77:10 (NKJV)

Every sincere follower of Jesus experiences agony on many occasions in the journey of faith. How one interprets and reacts to suffering depends on the depth of one’s relationship with Christ. It is important to know how to find hope in distress.

Making Diligent Personal Search

The seventy-seventh psalm depicts a human being experiencing anguish but later finding relief through a paradigm shift. Verses 1-3 reveal a man appealing to God for help. He complains and is troubled but God appears not to act.

In his agony, the psalmist reminisces. “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night. I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.” (Verses 5 & 6).

Will the Lord Cast off Forever?

Nonetheless, the pained psalmist finds no relief though his diligent search. He still cannot understand God’s apparent hostility towards him. He wonders:
“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?” (Verses 7-9).

Our search for solutions to life’s problems and hope in the face of anguish must go beyond our personal experiences to an encounter with God. When we come to the end of the tether, only a paradigm shift can help us. That is what happens to the psalmist.

I Will Also Meditate on all Your Work

He states, “And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the LORD. Surely, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.”” (Verses 10-12).

It is when the psalmist shifts his thoughts to the Lord’s mighty works, meditates on God’s powerful deeds and talks about them that he finds hope, relief and joy. Instead of focusing on personal failures, he ponders God’s omnipotence and everything changes.

How to Find Hope in Despair

Sometimes God refuses to answer our prayers until we realize we need Him. Our subjective and finite thoughts limit God to what we think is possible. God, however, wants us to stop focusing on tainted experiences and turn our affections to Him.

When we meditate on what God can do for us (and there is a lot of evidence in the Bible and in history), the water in our Red Sea parts and God leads us away from our anguish and trouble. To learn how to find hope in distress. (Verses 16-20) mediate on God’s omnipotence.

Prayer
Dear God, when my despair grows because I focus on my tainted history, teach me to remember, meditate on talk about Your mighty deeds in my quest for hope and relief.