Psalm 77:4

Psalm 77:4

i was too troubled to speak

This verse describes the nadir of depression and anxiety. Firstly, sleep does not come. Our minds can be so troubled that to slip off into peaceful rest is impossible. Rest is a state of mind, it comes easily to those who have no fears and who are not troubled. The very best rest in the world is available to those who trust completely in the Lord, they are free from any worries or troubles. “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8. Prayer is a wonderful antidote to stress and having a troubled mind, prayer allows us to pass the buck, to cast our cares onto the shoulders of someone so much bigger and greater than ourselves. That is why it is good to pray before we sleep! Strangely the verse here blames God for the sleeplessness, “You kept my eyes from closing!” Maybe there was good reason for this Psalm writer to stop and review all that had happened to him, and to God’s people? We shall see.

Having just talked about the value of prayer we discover here a man who had reached such a dark place that he could not pray. Earlier in the Psalm it had been possible, and he had cried out to God for help. Some of us have experienced such times, when there are no words, when the problems and the darkness are impenetrable, and our human minds cannot make any sense of all that is going on or find the words to express our emotions. Sometimes, even the emotions dry up and we are numbed by all that has come upon us. Such distress is extremely troubling. I’m glad the Psalm doesn’t end here!

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