The Way Out of Despair

David Wilkerson (1931-2011)

I have known of great Christians who have experienced a trial so dark and deep that life itself seemed almost not worth living. In his very darkest hour, Jeremiah discovered a glorious truth that brought new hope and assurance to his mind. It was something he already knew about God, but it hadn’t touched his soul until he came to the end of himself. He discovered that at the very bottom, God was there! The farther down he went, the more God was to be discovered. God was not to be discovered up there in some blissful soaring into untroubled skies but in the shadows of grief and despair. When Jeremiah hit bottom, he fell hard against the faithfulness of a compassionate God. 

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23, NKJV). Jeremiah came to realize great truths. Listen to his discoveries. 

  1. “The waters flowed over my head; I said, ‘I am cut off!’ I called on your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit. …You drew near on the day I called on you, and said, ‘Do not fear!’” (Lamentations 3:54-57). 

  2. When God seems to have covered himself with a cloud so that my prayers could not pass through, he will still see my oppression and will judge my case (see Lamentations 3:44, 59). 

  3. If the Lord allows grief and sorrow, he will at the same time uphold me with abundant compassion and love (see Lamentations 3:32). 

  4. God is not trying to sabotage any of my plans; he is not withholding justice from me (see Lamentations 3:35-36). 

  5. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). 

  6. “The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:25-26). 

  7. “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40-41). 

  8. Being down has spent my strength and hope. I am left empty and humbled, so now I depend totally on his mercies! (see Lamentations 3:18, 20-22).