Hard Feelings - Week 2 - Has God Forgotten to be Gracious? {Psalm 77}

It’s been a hard year. We’ve adapted, pushed through, and made it work. We’ve counted our blessings and fought with all our might to hold on to some semblance of joy. We’ve rallied behind our self-made 11th commandment, “fake it til you make it,” and have done a pretty good job at making it look like everything’s okay. 

But let’s be honest - we’re not exactly thriving. We’re sad. Depleted. Discouraged. Overwhelmed. Anxious. Angry. Lonely. Depressed. We've had to make impossible decisions with virtually no solid information. We're reluctantly looking ahead to the future, afraid to plan anything lest we have to endure yet another round of disappointing cancellations. So many unknowns. So little to look forward to. Zero margins for those trying to balance work and e-learning. Even as we gratefully embrace the new normal, “How long, O Lord...” is the honest cry of our weary hearts. 

Did you know that the Bible gives us language to express these hard feelings? In fact, at least 1/3 of the Psalms are lament. Turns out “fake it til you make it” isn’t in the Bible at all. Not even a little. The God who grieves the brokenness of this world has invited us to do the same. 

This is episode two of a podcast series on the Psalms of lament that will combine elements of Bible study, conversation, and powerful stories from women who have walked through really hard seasons and found God relentlessly faithful. 

Like just about everything in life, this podcast series will be way more fun and meaningful with a friend or two. So share, listen, jot down some notes, and then gather to discuss what you learn. We've even provided printable companion guides for those of you who would like to use this series for personal or group study. You can access those right here...

Series companion guides:

Introduction to Lament
Psalm of Lament Worksheet (you'll want to print 8 of these)

The list of Psalms in the order that they'll be covered is on page two of the "Introduction to Lament" companion guide. Here's a quick run-down.

Series content schedule:

This week:: Psalm 77
Week 3: Psalm 13
Week 4: Psalm 55
Week 5: Psalms 42 and 43
Week 6: Psalm 38
Week 7: Psalm 10
Week 8: Psalm 22

Our story this week was generously provided by Rebecca Spangler.

Podcast series are WAY more fun when we hear from you. So hit us up on our social media pages! Tell us what you're learning, what stood out to you from a particular episode, what Psalm you're loving the most, or how we can pray with you through your own hard season.

Facebook // Instagram

You can also reach out to us through the contact information on our website, which you can access by clicking here.

If you would like more information about Bell Shoals Baptist Church, click here.