Episode 344
Finding Hope in Despair
"God doesn't want us to come to him only when things are great... He wants you just as you are in your state of asking why, in your state of being sad, in your state of even joy." - Wesleyne
Word of the Day
"Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. My throat is parched, my eyes fail, looking for my God."- Psalm 69:1-3
In moments of despair, Wesleyne reflects on Psalm 69, expressing how it encapsulates the raw emotions of feeling overwhelmed and drowning in life's challenges. She acknowledges that despair is a natural part of the human experience, but emphasizes that it's crucial not to stay in that place. Rather, she encourages turning to God in prayer, even when words fail and darkness surrounds them. Wesleyne shares her own experience of praying with a friend in despair, highlighting the importance of seeking God's help and taking small steps toward healing.
Takeaways:
- God welcomes us just as we are, in all our emotions, whether joy or despair.
- When overwhelmed, turn to God in prayer, even when words are hard to find.
- God answers prayers out of His love and goodness, offering hope and salvation.
- Even in despair, take small steps guided by prayer and seek support from others.
- It's okay to be sad, but it's not okay to stay in that darkness. Fight for your mental health every day.
Chapters:
- 00:00 Despair: A Common Human Experience
- 01:23 Finding Words in the Psalms
- 03:08 Seeking God in Desperation
- 05:06 Taking Steps Towards Healing
What questions are you struggling to answer? Wesleyne would love to answer these questions for you personally. Send any questions or prayer requests to hello@askwesleyne.com
Follow Wesleyne on Instagram @wesleynewhittaker
Transcript
God doesn't want us to come to him only when things are great. He doesn't want us to be perfect in our prayers and come to him with the right things to say. He wants us as we are. He wants you just as you are in your state of
asking why in your state of being sad in your state of even joy.
Wesleyne (:This morning I'm going to read a portion of Psalm 69 so you can see exactly how you can come to God.
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the merry depths where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters. The floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help. My throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs on my head.
Many are my enemies without cause. Those who seek to destroy me, I am forced to restore what I did not steal. That was verses one through four.
And let's pause there.
Wesleyne (:How much pain and sorrow is coming through the words on this page? Save me. The waters have come up to my neck. Have you ever been in a season of life or had a day where you literally feel like you are drowning? You are drowning. And it feels like you can't tread water.
You can't swim, you can't get out of it. You're just like, Lord, today I just don't want to die. Today I just don't want to drown. Save me.
Wesleyne (:And the next verse says, I've come into the deep waters, the floods engulf me. Imagine being in the middle of the ocean and walking out where the water is over your head, the feeling of drowning.
Literally having a water Envelope your head you can't see you can't breathe But then in the next verse says my throat is parched So we're in deep waters, but we're thirsty We can't even cry out for help because we are so thirsty We are so parched Our eyes are failing trying to look for God
We can't see him. We can't feel him. We are underwater.
Wesleyne (:People who hate you without reason outnumber the hairs on our head. Many are enemies without cause. Wanna destroy you.
but you are forced to restore what you did not steal. So as you are drowning, as you are so thirsty, there are people that are hating you without reason, people that you don't even know of.
This is what true despair and depression feel like. It feels like you are drowning. It feels like you can't breathe. It feels like you can't talk. It feels like everything, everyone is against you. No matter what you do, people are throwing stones at you.
Wesleyne (:It is okay to have days, to have moments, to have seasons when you feel this way. It is absolutely okay. But it's not okay to stay there. It's not okay.
Wesleyne (:to stay in despair.
Wesleyne (:say drowning. What do we do when we're in these places? How do we get out of these places? In verse 13 it says, but I pray to you Lord in the time of your favor in your great love. God, answer me with your sure salvation.
Verse 16, answer me Lord, out of the goodness of your love and the great mercy, turn to me.
Do not hide your face from your servant. Answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. Come near and rescue me. Deliver me because of my foes.
Wesleyne (:So in these moments when you feel like I can't breathe, I can't see God, I can't physically, I can't verbally call out to him.
in your darkness, in your sadness, you pray. You ask God to rescue you from those places that you are. Those places when you're sinking so deep down within.
Wesleyne (:Answer me Lord out of the goodness of your love and he will always answer you.
Wesleyne (:Recently, I was working with one of my friends who was in a place of despair and a place of darkness and she just she couldn't get out of that place. She was so down that she couldn't even get out of bed and wash her face. And so we prayed.
I said, God, close the doors that need to be closed and open the doors that need to be opened. Give her strength. And after we prayed, we came up with a plan, a simple plan. I walked her through, I said, first, I want you to do this. Then I want you to do that. And next, I want you to do this.
Wesleyne (:Until again, when we're in our places of despair, it is hard to take steps, simple steps like washing your face, eating food, taking a shower. Sometimes we don't have that strength within us until we call out to our God, our good God, and we say, Lord, help me, give me salvation.
and he will answer in the time of need. And your job in this time of your sadness is to remember it's okay to be sad. It is absolutely okay to be sad. It's not okay to stay there. Every single day we must fight for our mental health. Every single day we have to say, I will not stay in this darkness.
I will not stay in this place.
