Have You Stopped Loving Me?
P S A L M 7 7
“I cry aloud to God, aloud to God,
and he will hear me.
I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up all night long;
I refused to be comforted.
I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.
Selah
You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.
I consider days of old, years long past.
At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders. “Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor?
Has his faithful love ceased forever?
Is his promise at an end for all generations? Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah
So I say, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.
I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.
God, your way is holy.
What god is great like God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you revealed your strength among the peoples.
With power you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
The water saw you, God.
The water saw you; it trembled.
Even the depths shook.
The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered; your arrows flashed back and forth.
The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightning lit up the world.
The earth shook and quaked.
Your way went through the sea and your path through the vast water,
but your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Psalm 77
R E M E M B E R
In December 2016, my husband crushed and broke my heart, decided to walk away and claimed his love had ended. Five years later, the ache and broken trust still hangs in the air some days. Love isn’t supposed to fail.
So how do I line that up with God’s love? When life hurts and I look around at all the sorrow and grief in my life I often look up to God and ask, “Have You stopped loving me too? Will you walk away too?” I’ve learned I’m in good company and very much not alone when I read the Psalms of lament.
Take a look at Asaph’s words in Psalm 77:7-12—
“Will the Lord reject forever and never again show favor?
Has His faithful love ceased forever?
Is His promise at an end for all generations?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger withheld his compassion?” Selah
So I say, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
I WILL REMEMBER the Lord’s works;
yes, I WILL REMEMBER your ancient wonders.
I WILL MEDITATE ON ALL YOU HAVE DONE AND MEDITATE ON ALL YOUR ACTIONS.”
When "love" breaks your heart and walks away it's hard to trust that God's love is any different. When love feels only broken and shaky, look to the cross of Jesus and see, remember and meditate on a Love that has not, will not, could not end. Take note of the differences and remember,
real Love never fails.
R E F L E C T I O N Q U E S T I O N S
What circumstances in your life have caused you to cry,
"Have you stopped loving me, God?
(Make a list, being honest before the Lord.)
Do you see a root of distrust within your heart- maybe springing from a broken relationship?
(Looking at your list, do you see a deep root of distrust growing underneath? Do you struggle to trust people? Spend time praying, asking God, your Gardener, to uproot any roots or weeds that are harming you.)
How might your perspective shift if you end each day reflecting on three ways God has shown His love to you in the last 24 hours?
(Start a new small habit of reflecting and recording God’s faithful and loving acts towards you, just like Asaph in Psalm 77:11-12 —
I will remember the Lord’s works;
yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.
I will reflect on all you have done
and meditate on your actions.
Set a pen and journal next to your bed and spend three minutes writing three loving and faithful acts of God in your life that day. Over the span of one year you could have a record of 1,095 ways God has shown love to you! How might this practice change your life?)
In what ways does the cross of Jesus reshape your understanding of what love is?
(Using the cross of Jesus as your reference, define what Love is. For example—Love does not seek its own good but lays down its love for the one He loves. Spend time praying and asking God to reshape your definition of love into His definition of Love. Pray, Lord, my definition of love has been marred by __________________. Please help me look to Jesus on the cross instead to understand what real love is. In the cross of Jesus I see love as _______________________.)
L O V E A B I D E S
“Settle this in your heart:
Whether I am up or down,
the Lord Jesus is the same.
Whether I sing or sigh,
the promise is true and
the Promiser is faithful.
Whether I stand
on the summit or
am hidden in the vale
the covenant stands fast
and everlasting love abides.”
CHARLES SPURGEON
L A M E N T R E S O U R C E N O . 3
Our resource today is one of our favorites— Bethany Barnard’s 2021 album All My Questions. This is an incredibly deep, honest, raw, humble, comforting, hopeful collection of songs and we can’t recommend it more highly. Bethany wrote this album in the wake of her Dad’s death and a difficult health diagnosis. She deals with her anger with God, questions the meaning of suffering, the posture of the Church in suffering and the eternal hope that keeps us afloat in affliction. This album is truly a treasure to a weary and heavy heart. You can find her album on Spotify or wherever you stream your music.
BONUS RESOURCE! Happy Friday! We’ve made you a Spotify playlist! We’ve gathered some of our favorite songs (including Bethany’s) that we turn to when sorrow threatens to do us in. These songs are honest, Christ-centered and hopeful. We pray they encourage you. Have a listen this weekend and let us know which song is your favorite!
Happy (and hopeful!) listening!
FOR NEXT WEEK
We would encourage you to have a read through Psalm 28 to prepare for next week. We will be asking the question, God, are you even listening to me?
Take note of the four stages of Biblical lament: turning to God, voicing a complaint, asking God to act and resolving to trust. Spend time praying, meditating on and memorizing the verses.
We look forward to looking at this passage together next week! See you Monday…
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