When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

Mike Leake

I’ve decided to ask a few people to write occasional articles for me to use at Borrowed Light. Nick Horton is one of those fine souls to agree to do this. He blogs at http://nicholashorton.wordpress.com/and you can follow him on Twitter @NickHorton

“Oh God, have you forgotten me?” My chest heaves under stress and pressure, feeling as though there is an actual weight crushing down on me. I walk as though in a fog, aware I have somewhere to be, but I can’t see where I’m going or what is ahead. My wife asks me “What’s wrong? Are you upset?” Even the question feels like another thing to do, more responsibility, more pressure. My mind reels, clawing to stay afloat, yet slowly sinking beneath the ice-cold waves of despair.

When these dark times come, I have nowhere to turn but God. As I grow older, I am learning to shorten the time between trusting myself and throwing myself on the mercy of God. Anything else that I could turn to for comfort during these dark nights of the soul are just idols. Only God can provide the comfort my soul needs. His word shines forth on the darkness of my mood.

Psalm 13

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

I can relate to David’s feelings. Stress, fear, worry, doubt; all burden my heart and drive me to despair. I can relate to what he says in Psalm 23 of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. God, as my Father, can handle the cry of his child. I can approach him with my fears and sorrow and ask him, “How long, O Lord?” I can echo that longing and feel it deep within. He won’t get angry at my asking. He can handle it. In fact, he wants me to come running to him. Doing so is acknowledgment of his rightful place as King, and my place as servant.

David goes from his lament that God seems to have forgotten Him to a very important truth. His anchor in whatever storm he was going through.

“But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
Because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

He went back to the foundation of his faith. In our despair, we need to remember we have a great High Priest who lives to intercede for us: Jesus Christ. In the midst of despair, David returns to what he knows about God, about himself, and what that means about how he should live.

He has trusted in the steadfast love of God. His heart rejoices in God’s salvation of him. When life closes in on you, death approaches you, and you feel as though your back is to the wall, remember that God has saved you from this light and momentary affliction. It doesn’t feel light, but against eternity with God it most certainly is. Recall how God has blessed you. Practice thankfulness. This is counterintuitive to the world, but you are no longer of the world if you are in Christ.

Sing to the Lord in your suffering. Acknowledge your fear, pain, and suffering, worship God, and sing to him! Sing songs of lament like Psalm 13. Sing songs of praise, though you may not “feel” like singing. Don’t be led by your feelings. Lead your feelings. Pull your heart along whether it desires to go or not, it will follow.

The first verse of the hymn “It Is Well” sticks in my mind and heart, tucked in there with Psalm 13, for dark times. Read this, sing it if you know the tune, and worship the God who is worthy.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Today in Blogworld 08.02.13

Mike Leake

How and Why is Christ One Person in Two Natures?

This is essentially just two videos. But they answer an important and hard to grasp question.

Don’t Be a Bible Pharmacist Be A Bible Doctor!

“…we must minister to people in different ways depending on their spiritual condition. We can’t simply slap a verse on a person.”

It Get’s Better for the Chaste Too

The book that I have handed out most frequently in the last couple of years is Wesley Hill’s book Washed and Waiting. This little article might give you a taste of why.

In Praise of the Low-Minded Christian

Jared Wilson resurrects an old piece from the Boar’s Head Tavern. And I’m glad he did.

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition…nor do they expect a parakeet to say it.

Pray For You Wife: 31 Day Challenge—Day One

Mike Leake 18 Comments

I’m amazed at the response so far we have over 1,050 people signed up on Facebook to pray for their wives for 31 days. This is not to mention those of you that have opted to follow along through the blog. I’m excited to see what the Lord does to further His glory as we pray for our wives.

Remember if you are only following the prayer challenge through the blog that you will need to comment on this post, either a prayer of your or a simple statement that says, “done”. This is so we can keep each other accountable.

Day one begins now:

Day One: That She Would Have an Abiding Satisfaction in God

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. –Psalm 16:11

The greatest thing that we can pray for our wives is that she will be eternally satisfied in God. It is at His right hand where pleasure is to be found. It is in His presence and His presence alone where the fullness of joy is to be found; for our wives to drink from any other fountain will only multiply her sorrows (Psalm 16:4). Therefore, we must pray that our wives find their deepest satisfaction in God.

Father, I pray that you would cause my wife to find her deepest satisfaction in You. Rescue her from looking to other things to find satisfaction and pleasures. Help me to lead her in my enjoyment of You. At your right hand is where joy is found. Help us to truly believe this and live accordingly. In Jesus name, Amen.

And He Still Hasn’t Given Up On Us! John 2:23-25 by Terry Buster

Mike Leake

“Being a part of the church is wonderful, blessed, and, if it weren’t for the people, would be the closest thing to heaven on earth.”

 Ever felt that way?  Who hasn’t?   After all, people are messy; think they know everything; make massive assumptions about the motivations of others; will let you down just when you need them most; argue over the silliest of things; like to sit back and observe what’s wrong, but not get their hands dirty to fix anything; love the idea of the church growing and reaching others as long as nothing changes; etc., etc., etc.  Oh and by the way, they sin…..sin a lot!!!!

Read John 2:23-25.  Read it again. One more time, read it without trying to figure out whether this is ‘saving belief’ on the part of the people and put yourself in the middle of that tricky little ALL people identification.

Four Quick Observations:
1. Jesus understands, knows human nature and the reality that we are all of us, each of us marred by sin.  His trust is in the Father and the Father’s plans for Kingdom Work.

2. In spite of the fact that Jesus knows us, he has neither given up on us nor does he become cynical about his mission among the nations. Ouch….apparently Jesus just doesn’t see what we see, what I see in people. (If you could ‘hear’ the tone of my fingers on the keyboard you would recognize the dripping sarcasm of that statement.)

3. A great irony of this passage is that while Jesus does not entrust himself to us, he does trust his ongoing mission with us.  Talk about grace, mercy, and the promise of His power at work in our lives.

4. His grace is all the more profound and precious because he does know us, he still loves us, and he has not give up on us yet.  Jesus still has hope for us.

Following the example of my Lord I pray that God will give me the wisdom I need to know people and accept the reality of my struggle with sin on this side of eternity.  Following the example of my Lord I pray that God will give me the confidence in him and his work so that I will not give up on people and not trade God’s Hope for a prideful cynicism which builds up my ego while tearing people down.

Lord, Help me to set to set aside if it weren’t for the people and see them through the hope-filled eyes of Jesus.  Help me to live in your abiding hope.