Faith Crisis

What do you do when your faith begins to crack under pressure?

Book Three of the Psalms (Psalms 73–89) wrestles deeply with that question. These songs were written in a season of national collapse, spiritual doubt, and personal despair. God’s people felt abandoned. Their enemies prospered. The temple lay in ruins. Life didn’t seem fair—or even survivable.

And yet, in the middle of their faith crisis, the psalmists teach us how to cling to God. They show us how doubt can turn into deeper trust, and how despair can give way to hope.

This series walks through five of those psalms, each one capturing a different kind of crisis—and pointing us to God’s unshakable goodness:

• Psalm 73: When God Doesn’t Seem Good – wrestling with envy and doubt when the wicked prosper.

• Psalm 74: Clinging to Hope – finding confidence in God’s covenant when the church seems abandoned.

• Psalm 78: Learning from the Past – remembering God’s faithfulness to break the cycle of forgetfulness and idolatry.

• Psalm 81: Listening to God – hearing His deliverance, direction, and desire in seasons of crisis.

• Psalm 86: Powerful Prayer – discovering how dependence, God’s glory, and intimacy reshape our prayers.

The Psalms don’t sugarcoat suffering. They give us language for our pain, but they also point us beyond it—to a God who saves, sustains, and satisfies His people, even in the darkest valleys.

When God Doesn’t Seem Good: Psalm 73

What do you do when life hurts—and God doesn’t seem good?

That’s the raw question Psalm 73 tackles. Asaph, a worship leader in Israel, admits he nearly lost his faith when he saw the wicked prosper while he suffered. His story shows us how to walk through doubt and despair with hope.

1. Expect a Crisis of Faith (vv. 1–15)

Even strong believers will face moments of doubt. Asaph confesses, “My feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.”

His crisis began when he envied the prosperity of the wicked. They seemed healthy, wealthy, and carefree—while he struggled. He wondered if living faithfully was pointless.

If you’ve ever thought, “Why am I trying so hard when life seems easier for those who ignore God?”—you’re not alone. Expect seasons when your faith feels fragile, and don’t be surprised when they come

2. Trust the Gospel (vv. 16–26)

Asaph’s turning point came “when I went into the sanctuary of God.” Surrounded by worship, the Word, and sacrifice, he regained perspective.

He remembered that the prosperity of the wicked is fleeting, but God’s promises are eternal. He saw again that God guides His people now and will one day receive them into glory.

Most importantly, his desires shifted: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” The gospel reminds us that we don’t just get God’s blessings—we get God Himself.

3. Tell Your Testimony (vv. 27–28)

Asaph ends by declaring, “But for me it is good to be near God.”

Looking back, he could see how far God had brought him—from despair to faith. And he didn’t keep it to himself—he told others of God’s goodness.

When doubts creep in, preach the gospel to yourself: Christ has died for you, risen for you, and will never let you go. And share your story with others. Your testimony may be the lifeline someone else needs.

Living This Out

When God doesn’t seem good, Psalm 73 gives us a path forward:

• Expect moments of doubt.

• Trust the gospel’s eternal perspective.

• Tell of God’s goodness in your own life.

The night of doubt may be long, but joy is coming. God is still good—and He is enough.

Reflection Questions for Readers

1. When have you felt the tension Asaph describes—envying the prosperity of others while you suffered?

2. How can worship, God’s Word, and community help reframe your perspective?

3. What story of God’s goodness in your life could you share with someone this week?

Clinging to Hope: Psalm 74

What do you do when it feels like God has abandoned His church?

Psalm 74 gives voice to that painful question. The temple was destroyed, worship was silenced, and enemies mocked God’s people. Asaph, the psalmist, cries out in confusion. And in his struggle, we find a model for how to cling to hope when God seems absent.

1. The Problem: A Congregation in Ruins (vv. 1–11)

The psalm opens with devastation. God’s people felt cast aside—like sheep without a shepherd. The temple, the very symbol of God’s presence, had been desecrated. Enemies set up their own signs where God once was worshiped.

It’s not hard to see parallels today. Churches can feel overrun by cultural forces, drained of spiritual power, or nostalgic for “glory days” that seem gone forever. And like Asaph, we ask: How long, Lord? Why do You seem silent?

2. The Gospel Truth: Confidence in the King (vv. 12–17)

Asaph’s turning point comes when he remembers who God is. He is not a distant spectator but the King of salvation and creation.

God had delivered Israel before—from Egypt, from wilderness enemies, from exile. He also holds creation itself in His hands, setting boundaries for seas and seasons.

The cross of Christ confirms this truth for us. Jesus, the true temple, was destroyed and mocked, but God raised Him from the dead. In Him we have a new covenant, a greater temple, and a promise: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Even when churches falter, God has not abandoned His people. His power and His promises remain.

3. Living It Out: A Prayer of Faith (vv. 18–23)

Asaph ends not in despair but in prayer. He asks God to:

• Remember His people – weak and needy, like a dove before wild beasts.

• Regard His covenant – fulfilled in Jesus, who secured a better promise by His blood.

• Arise and defend His cause – not our agendas, but His mission to make disciples.

That’s our hope too. God has not promised to bless our preferences or programs, but He has promised to build His church. When we repent, return to Him, and pursue His mission, we can pray with confidence: “Arise, O God, defend Your cause!”

Psalm 74 reminds us that even when the church feels weak or forgotten, God is still King, Christ is still risen, and His covenant still stands.

So we cling to hope—not in our strength, but in His.

Reflection Questions for Readers

1. When have you felt like the church was in decline or under attack?

2. How does remembering Christ as the true temple change your perspective?

3. In what ways can you join God’s cause of making disciples in your own church?

Learning from the Past: Psalm 78

Psalm 78 is one of the great “history psalms.” Asaph takes a long, hard look at Israel’s past—not to shame them, but to teach us. The message is simple: if we learn from the past, we don’t have to fear the present or the future.

The apostle Paul echoes this truth in 1 Corinthians 10:6: “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.” The church today is the offspring of Israel; their story is our story. God preserved their history so that we could walk more faithfully with Him.

So what lessons can we learn from the past?

1. The Consequences of Faithlessness (vv. 17–39)

After God delivered Israel from Egypt, they complained in the wilderness. Though He gave them manna, it wasn’t enough. They longed for meat, even saying slavery in Egypt was better. Their craving became their condemnation (v. 30–31).

The root issue? Faithlessness.

“They did not believe in God and did not trust his saving power.” (v. 22)

Testing God, they demanded proof of His love rather than remembering His great act of redemption. And even when they got what they wanted, it didn’t satisfy them.

Lesson: You gain nothing by distrusting God. Faithless accusations—“If You were good, You wouldn’t let this happen”—only lead to deeper misery.

2. The Danger of Forgetfulness (vv. 40–55)

Israel quickly forgot the mighty works of God—the plagues, the Red Sea, the deliverance from bondage.

Forgetfulness narrowed their focus to immediate cravings. Like a child melting down at an amusement park because of a missed snack, they forgot the bigger picture.

We are no different. We forget who we were before Christ, who we are now in Him, and what He has done for us.

• Who we were: “And such were some of you…” (1 Cor. 6)

• Who we are: blessed, chosen, forgiven, adopted (Eph. 1)

• What He did: humbled Himself, died for us, rose again victorious (Phil. 2)

Lesson: Forgetfulness turns us into entitled children and leads us to turn our backs on God.

3. The Results of Idolatry (vv. 56–64)

Faithlessness and forgetfulness pave the way to idolatry. Israel continually turned aside to false gods, provoking the Lord to jealousy.

Idolatry isn’t just bowing before statues—it’s valuing anything more than Jesus. It can be good things pursued wrongly:

• Family, when comfort outweighs Christ.

• Work, when success defines our worth.

• Even church, when personal preference matters more than God’s glory.

The results are devastating: rejection, exile, loss of God’s presence. Romans 1 warns us that God gives people over to what they desire.

Lesson: Whatever takes Christ’s place in your heart will ultimately destroy you.

The Hope of a Shepherd (vv. 65–72)

Thankfully, Psalm 78 doesn’t end in despair. Out of obscurity, God raised up David, a shepherd-king, to guide His people. But even David was pointing forward to a greater Shepherd—Jesus Christ.

Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. He resisted the very temptations Israel gave into:

• Bread in the wilderness.

• Testing God’s power.

• Bowing to false gods.

Through His perfect obedience, Jesus broke the cycle of sin and judgment. And through His death and resurrection, He took the wrath we deserved and brought us into lasting hope.

Lesson: We don’t have to repeat the cycle of Psalm 78. In Christ, the past doesn’t define us—the Shepherd does.

Living This Out

Psalm 78 calls us to examine our own lives:

• Are we living in faith, or testing God’s goodness?

• Do we remember His grace, or are we consumed with temporary cravings?

• Are we worshiping Him alone, or have idols crept in?

The good news is that change is possible. In Jesus, we can break the destructive cycle and walk in faith, gratitude, and worship.

Reflection Questions for Readers

1. What past sins or patterns is God calling you to learn from today?

2. In what ways do you struggle with spiritual forgetfulness?

3. What subtle idols are competing with Jesus for first place in your heart?

Listening to God: Psalm 81

If someone asked you, “What is the most important Psalm?” you might hesitate—different psalms speak powerfully at different times. Yet there’s a case to be made for Psalm 81. It sits at the very center of the Psalter, and at its heart is this simple, urgent plea:

“O Israel, if you would but listen to me!” (Psalm 81:8)

Listening to God has always been the defining mark of His people. Israel’s crisis came when they refused to listen. And often, ours does too. Psalm 81 reminds us what it means to hear God’s voice in three key ways.

1. Listen to God’s Deliverance (vv. 1–7)

The psalm begins with a call to remember God’s great act of deliverance—the Exodus. That moment defined Israel’s identity.

For us, it’s the cross. When we remember Jesus’ saving work, it grounds us in who we are: chosen, redeemed, and freed from sin. And deliverance always leads to worship.

We listen to God’s deliverance when we:

• Read His Word and rehearse the old, old story.

• Gather in worship, hearing the gospel in song, prayer, and preaching.

When we forget God’s deliverance, worship grows cold. When we listen, our hearts are stirred to joy again.

2. Listen to God’s Direction (vv. 8–10)

God not only delivers—He directs. At the core of Israel’s crisis was idolatry: replacing God with something else.

The same is true for us. When health, money, relationships, or success take God’s place, our lives collapse into constant crisis. Idols always disappoint.

God’s direction is clear: “I am the LORD your God… open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” (v. 10) Obedience isn’t about restriction—it’s about joy. Keeping God first leads to the satisfaction our hearts are truly craving.

3. Listen to God’s Desire (vv. 11–16)

God’s heart is not to burden but to bless. He longs to fill our lives with good things—yet Israel missed out because they would not listen.

Sometimes blessing doesn’t look like ease. At times, God leads us through testing so that we might grow in holiness. But even in trial, His desire is for our good. Ultimately, His greatest gift is life eternal in Jesus Christ.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes… has eternal life.” (John 5:24)

God’s desire is that His people would listen and live.

Living This Out

Psalm 81’s message is timeless: God still speaks, and His people must still listen.

• Listen to His deliverance and let it fuel your worship.

• Listen to His direction and keep Him first in your life.

• Listen to His desire and trust that He longs to bless you with what is truly good.

The God who once brought water from a rock can still bring honey from the hardest places in your life.

Reflection Questions for Readers

1. Where have you stopped listening to God’s voice in your life?

2. What idol competes most with God for first place in your heart?

3. How might you create space this week to listen intentionally to His deliverance, direction, and desire?

Rescued by God: Psalm 86

Prayer is one of the great privileges of the Christian life. Yet many of us struggle to pray—or we treat prayer as our last resort rather than our first response. In Psalm 86, David models what powerful prayer looks like. He shows us three lessons that can reshape our prayer lives.

1. The Posture of Prayer (vv. 1–7)

David was a king, a warrior, and a man of resources. Yet in prayer, he calls himself “poor and needy.” True prayer begins with dependence.

He doesn’t come before God listing his accomplishments. Instead, he pleads for grace, because prayer is not grounded in our worthiness but in God’s character: “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.”

We come to God not on the basis of our resume, but in the name of Jesus—the Son who perfectly obeyed, died for our sins, and now intercedes for us. The only ground we stand on in prayer is grace.

2. The Priority of Prayer (vv. 8–10)

David was in grave danger, but at the very center of his prayer is not rescue—it is worship.

“There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.”

This teaches us that the ultimate goal of prayer is not to get what we want, but to glorify God. Even in crisis, David reminds himself that God is unique, that He is calling the nations to Himself, and that His glory is what matters most.

When we make God’s glory our priority, our needs find their proper place.

3. The Purpose of Prayer (vv. 11–17)

Prayer not only changes circumstances—it changes us. David prays: “Unite my heart to fear your name.”

The true purpose of prayer is intimacy with God. Like Moses, who spoke with God as a friend, David longed to know the Lord more deeply. Even when his enemies still threatened him, their presence faded into the background compared to his confidence in God.

That’s the power of prayer: it pulls us close to God, reshaping our hearts, and reminding us that His presence is greater than our problems.

Living This Out

Psalm 86 leaves us with three takeaways:

• Dependence – Come to God as needy, not as deserving.

• Glory – Seek His honor above your requests.

• Intimacy – Pursue God Himself, not just His gifts.

And remember: the most important thing about prayer is simply this—pray. However weak your words may feel, God delights to hear His children.

Reflection Questions for Readers

1. When you pray, do you lean on your own worthiness or on God’s grace?

2. How might your prayers change if God’s glory became the central priority?

3. What practices can help you deepen your intimacy with God through prayer?