Every Sigh Has a Psalm
It has often been said, ‘for every sigh there is a Psalm.’ More than half of the Psalms are laments. These Psalms in particular express the feelings of the Psalmist when he thinks God has hidden His face, or turned His back on him, or forgotten him.
Ps.43:2 “For Thou art the God of my strength: why dost Thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
Ps.77:7-9 “Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favourable no More? Is His mercy clean gone forever? Doth His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah.”
There are many more Psalms just like those, but you get the picture.
Evidently the Psalmist wasn’t afraid to pray honest prayers. This was how he felt, and reckoned God was big enough to handle them. Sometimes when we go through a difficult season we struggle with our emotions and thoughts. We know scripturally that God will never leave us nor forsake us, His Word clearly gives us that promise. But in our humanity and weakness we feel alienated, disenfranchised from God. It’s as though our prayers go no further than the ceiling. The heavens seem like brass and our well is very dry. When we go through the vicissitudes of life there are days like this.
Even that spiritual giant of a man, the Apostle Paul, had his moments too. Listen to his ‘sigh’ in 1 Corinthians 1:8 “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life.”
Even Jesus Himself felt abandoned by God. Remember what He cried out on the cross? “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
That is why in those Psalms where David is sighing you can readily identify with his feelings. What he is openly saying you are inwardly feeling. It’s just that he is more honest in expressing it. I’m not advocating that you go around continually moaning and griping to the Lord, but there are moments when you need to be completely honest with Him. He has big enough shoulders to carry your frustrations and laments. But will He not be disappointed or disillusioned with me? You need to have an illusion to be disillusioned. Here’s a newsflash. God is never disillusioned with us, for He had never any illusions about us in the first place.
David seemed to always turn his sigh into a Psalm. I for one am glad he did. Here is one of his beautiful Psalms that seemed to come out of his season of trouble with his treacherous son Absalom.
Psalm 61:1-4 “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings. Selah.”
Why don’t you go ahead and turn your sigh into a Psalm!
- Pastor David Goudy