The Slough of Despond

July 2

(Psalms 77:1-9 NIV) "I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. {2} When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. {3} I remembered you, O God, and I groaned; I mused, and my spirit grew faint. {4} You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. {5} I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; {6} I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: {7} "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? {8} Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? {9} Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"

(Psalm 13:1-6 NIV) “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? {2} How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? {3} Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, {4} and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. {5} But, I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. {6} I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

In John Bunyan’s classic book, “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, his character encounters a place called the “slough of despond” where he sinks under the weight of his guilt and sin. It’s a place where we can get stuck if we’re not careful. We all have a version of the “slough of despond”. When bogged down there, we live in distress. There is no comfort to be found. Our spirits grow faint and we become impatient with God. We even begin to question the goodness of God. Why is He so slow to respond? Is His love really unfailing? Will He ever show up? Why is He failing to keep His promises? Has he forgotten me? Is God really merciful? These are classic questions as we wait for deliverance. They have been asked by every generation. God is good. He does hear our cries. We will see that in tomorrow’s reading as we finish this Psalm. With God, there is always a tomorrow. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day