1. In Praise of Despair

2. Psalm 142:1-7 I cry aloud to the Lord;     I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. 2 I pour out before him my complaint;     before him I tell my trouble. 3 When my spirit grows faint within me,     it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk     people have hidden a snare for me. 4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;     no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge;     no one cares for my life.

3. 5 I cry to you, Lord;     I say, “You are my refuge,     my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry,     for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me,     for they are too strong for me. 7 Set me free from my prison,     that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me     because of your goodness to me.

4. A. Desperate

5. God placed him in this impossible position of despair…why
God placed him in this impossible position of despair…why? “Ruthless trust is hanging tough in the dark nights, when we are plunged into desolation but know that the absence of God is only apparent.” -Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust

6. Psalm 10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off
Psalm 10:1 Why, Lord, do you stand far off?     Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

7. Psalm 13:1 How long, Lord. Will you forget me forever
Psalm 13:1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?     How long will you hide your face from me?

8. Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me
Psalm 22:1-2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?     Why are you so far from saving me,     so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,     by night, but I find no rest.

9. Psalm 22:9-11 Yet you brought me out of the womb;     you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you;     from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me,     for trouble is near     and there is no one to help.

10. B. Depressed

11. “No one is concerned for me…I have no refuge…” 14
“No one is concerned for me…I have no refuge…” 14.8 million or 6-7% of population diagnosed each year with major depressive disorder (ADAA) #1 cause of disability for ages 15-44

12. Psalm 43:2-5 You are God my stronghold. Why have you rejected me
Psalm 43:2-5 You are God my stronghold.     Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning,     oppressed by the enemy? 3 Send me your light and your faithful care,     let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy mountain,     to the place where you dwell. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God,     to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre,     O God, my God. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?     Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,     for I will yet praise him,     my Savior and my God.

13. A similar song of the sons of Korah

14. Psalm 42:5-7 Why, my soul, are you downcast?     Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,     for I will yet praise him,     my Savior and my God. 6 My soul is downcast within me;     therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,     the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep     in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers     have swept over me.

15. 1. Despair brings one to an end of themselves and their resources

16. 2. Despair breaks and overthrows our illusions and directs us back to reality “When our illusions die they give place to reality” -Thomas Merton

17. 3. Despair drives us back to a foundational trust in a loving God

18. “I know that God is loving…
“I know that God is loving….and that God’s loving is trustworthy…I know that God’s goodness goes deeper than all pleasure and pain….it embraces them both.” -Brennan Manning Ruthless Trust *Dietrich Bonheoffer ran towards a gallows shouting, “O death, you are the supreme festival on the road to Christian freedom!”

19. C. Fear ridden

20. “When my spirit grows faint…. I cry out to you, Lord
“When my spirit grows faint…..I cry out to you, Lord.” Social anxiety disorder 15 million or 6.8 % of USA population (ADAA)

21. 2 Tim 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

22. John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled
John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

23. Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

24. D. Disoriented but hopeful

25. I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living, Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need.”

26. Webster’s dictionary definition of, ‘Trust’: a :  assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth someone or something b :  one in which confidence is placed

27. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart     and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him,     and he will make your paths straight.

28. John 16:33

29. E. David steps out of himself into victory

30. “Set me free from my prison that I may praise your name.”

31. Often, the prisons in which we languish are the cells of our own making. By fashioning our attention on God, one must let go of self-absorption and endless introspection

32. John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

33. “His single minded orientation towards his father freed him from self-consciousness. Lost in wonder and gratefulness, he taught us the true meaning of humility.” -Brennan Manning Ruthless Trust

34. Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him;     I will surely defend my ways to his face.