TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. Psalm 77:2
Read: Psalm 77:1-4
Listen: Psalm 77
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Asaph, the author of Psalm 77, is deeply troubled in the middle of the night. He can’t sleep because his mind keeps repeating a playlist of things that make him anxious. He prays and prays, but his prayers seem to hang in the air. He felt close to God before this crisis but doesn’t feel that way now.
What keeps us up at night? Maybe it’s that horrible conversation with our boss, the stack of bills piling up on the table, a college course we’re failing or our teenager’s troubles. We pray and wait, but there’s nothing. We are deeply troubled, and God’s silence feels like he’s against us.
Like Asaph, we need to tell God how we feel. We may feel like nothing is happening, but God hears us and responds in ways we can’t see. Lament isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a practice we need to keep doing when anxious thoughts dog us. It’s also a habit we need to develop no matter how we feel because it points us toward God—not away from him.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Be honest with God about what keeps you awake at night and fills your thoughts during the day. Keep telling him how you feel, and don’t give up! Going to God with anxious thoughts is a spiritual practice he wants you to develop. “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11).
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Luke 8.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
