Introduction: The Space Between
Are you wandering? Do you feel forgotten? Has shame stolen your story? Is doubt discouraging your perspective?
It is in these spaces we often begin to question God’s goodness and grace, fearing that the weight of our feelings may break what we always knew to be faith. In these darkest moments, we are challenged to surrender our perspectives and press into the promise of God’s powerful presence.
This very place is what I like to call,
The Space Between.
“Between what is reality and what
was supposed to be. Between my heart's
convictions and my current emotional restrictions.”
These words flooded my heart as I drove into the mountains earlier this year. Tears filled my eyes as I pressed record and began to speak the truths my heart so desperately needed to hear.
“I find myself stuck in this perpetual blank spot.
Between the what-if's and why not's,
the valleys and the mountaintops.
It's here God has called me to simply stop.”
As I acknowledged the presence of my greatest fears, I felt some form of familiarity in these rhymes of mine. In looking back to scripture, I found a parallel passage in Lamentations chapter 3 which will be the springboard for our study in Psalm 107 (we’ll get there I promise). The author of Lamentations, thought to be Jeremiah, shares the story of Jerusalem’s fall during the Babylon captivity. Through five poems of lament, the writer expresses the pain of the petitioning soul. Jeremiah vividly describes God’s judgment and its impact on him emotionally (vs.1-20). The sin and sorrows surrounding Jeremiah, fractured His faith just as they do for us today.
He writes in verses 17-18:
“My soul is bereft of peace;
I have forgotten what happiness is so I say,
My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the Lord.”
Oh, how many times we find ourselves in this exact place. Lacking peace, seeing no bright skies, and asking where our hope actually lies. It is in the space between our sorrow and God’s sovereignty, we begin to experience friction within our faith.
“Overwhelmed by the tides I cannot control,
I am forced with the choice of who will guide my soul.
It is in this place of dependency, I am humbled by my humanity.”
My own words posed an important question, one I believe we all must consider carefully.
Who or what is guiding my soul?
More often than not, in times of struggle or strain, my feelings are in opposition to my faith. Consequently, I find myself in a conflicting state. Challenged by shame despite my salvation, faced with fear yet saying God as faithful, deeply discouraged but dedicated to my discipleship. Faith or feelings, I am torn to decide, which will dictate my perspective. One author speaks of this friction saying that there are 3 levels of faith in the Christian experience. The first believes only when feelings are present, the second believes in the absence of feelings, but the third believes God and His Word when circumstances, emotions, people, and human reason all seem to urge something to the contrary (Streams in the Desert).
This final form of faith is what we see develop in the heart of Jeremiah in verse 21 he states,
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases His mercies
never come to an end; they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion,
” says my soul, Therefore, I will hope for him” (21-24).
The hinge which held Jeremiah's hope, amidst the reality of things lost, was this one thing: God's steadfast love. He states that as he remembers (“Calls to mind” or “takes to heart”) the reality of God’s gracious nature, his hope is restored. In this resolve of mind, he goes on in the following verses to depict God’s goodness and great faithfulness to His children.
These words challenge my heart to no longer allow my spiritual vision to be clouded by today’s darkness. These words invite me, as one commentator put it, to pass from unbelief to the firmest of faith. I am learning that this resolve does not come in a sudden shift of perspectives but slowly shines through in our lives as we daily call to mind and remember all that God’s love provides.
LOOKING AHEAD
It is from this renewed perspective, Psalm 107 was written, which will be our guide in navigating this space between. In verses 1-3, the unknown author writes of the character of God and those whom he identifies as the redeemed saying,
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed fromtrouble and gathered in
from the lands, from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.”
What I find so powerful about the introduction of this psalm is that it was written shortly after the end of Babylonian captivity. Why is this significant? Because this reflection of the faithful character of God to redeem those in exile fulfills Jeremiah faithful resolve to trust in God despite the despair that consumed him. It is the “steadfast love of God” that anchors for both the hurting heart and the healed soul. In addition to Psalm 107’s identification of God’s goodness displayed in His enduring love, it also identifies those who have experienced the divine deliverance of God. Those who were once in danger, held in captivity and displaced among the nations, are now called, redeemed!
The psalmist calls to those who have been redeemed, to share in this anthem of praise. The NLT translates verse 2 profoundly saying, “Let the redeemed of the Lord share their story.”
What we will find in the following verses of this psalm are a retelling of the redeemed’s stories in The Space Between. We will read of the love that can be found despite life’s dissatifaction, the light that can bring us out of destructive darkness, the healing that can lift the heaviness of our rebellion, and the stillness that can be found in the storm.
This can be our story too! Despite our distress, discouragement, and despair, God’s presence invited us to take hold of a new story, that of the redeemed!
Through the next 5 weeks, I want to explore the reality of this identity as we grow in our awareness of God’s steadfast love. Whether you are wandering, waiting, wounded, or worried, Friend, we have each been given a hope that changes everything.
This coming week, let’s dive into our study of Psalm 107 by reading the Wanderer’s story found in verses 4-9. It is here, we will begin our search for satisfaction and security.