Why is it that we often see the way most clearly when we are most lost? When things look the bleakest, when all hope is lost, that is frequently when God most plainly reveals Himself. It really is the darkest before the dawn. The Psalmist relates such a moment: “Out of the depths, I cry to you, O LORD!” (Psalm 130).
No two experiences are exactly the same. There are, I am sure, as many ways God has touched our lives as there are believers in the world. Everyone encounters the Lord in unique ways, and it is a joy to tell those stories. Blaise Pascal, the world’s premier thinker in the seventeenth century, was taken by the theological truths of the Gospel. Almost against his will, CS Lewis became “the most dejected, reluctant convert in all England.” Count Zinzendorf, the father of modern missions, was overcome with joy while looking at a painting of a thorn-crowned Christ. There was nothing sentimental or emotional about the conversion experience of John Calvin. His experience of God’s grace came slowly, in contemplation over time. In contrast, John Wesley’s heart was “strangely warmed” while reading the Scripture and reflecting on his life. An early missionary to Native Americans, David Brainerd had an experience of “unspeakable glory” that prompted a “hearty desire to exalt God.”
While no two experiences are the same, it does often seem as though God meets us most clearly in our deepest time of need. St. Augustine was in the depths of loneliness and despair when he heard the voice that took him to the Word of God, and ultimately, to faith in Christ. The author of “Amazing Grace,” John Newton, was brought to a saving knowledge of the Lord after surviving a violent storm in the Atlantic which threatened to destroy his ship. Also in a storm, Martin Luther gave his life to serve Christ while terrified at begin struck by lightning. Charles Colson was famously involved in the Watergate coverup and came to faith during his time in prison. An inward crisis, despondency, emotional turmoil, and the death of his brother led the Russian philosopher and author Leo Tolstoy to a personal faith in the Savior. Of course, the Apostle Paul was knocked off his horse, blinded and confronted by the Lord Himself.
“Out of the depths, I cry to you, O LORD!” Many of us can appreciate such a cry. In times of trouble and despair, when we truly believe we are in the depths, we cry out to God. Of course, there are many reasons why we find ourselves in the depths; sometimes by accident, sometimes by the abuse of others. But often it is our own willfulness, our determination to be self-sufficient that lands us in despair. Perhaps that is why we meet the Lord at such times; perhaps it is exactly because our own way has led us to the depths, that we can finally listen to His voice. When we give up our self-confidence and trust instead in Him, we see Him as He truly is—the Savior, our Lord, Jesus the Christ.
If you have found yourself in the depths, read Psalm 130 for this Sunday.
