Title: Tossing and Turning
Text: Psalm 77
Thesis: There are times in life when it seems God no longer cares… but we continue to hope!
There is a quote from the book of Job which states, “When I go to bed, I think, ‘When will it be morning?’ But the night drags on, and I toss until dawn.” Job 7:4
One of the songs I remember from the 1960s was sung by Bobby Lewis. It is the song of a young man, so in love, that he cannot sleep… here are some of the lyrics:
I couldn’t sleep at all last night, just thinking of you…
I kicked the blankets on the floor,
Turned my pillow upside down,
I never, never did that before,
Because I was tossin’ and turning,
Turning and tossin,
Toss and turn all night.
Jumped out of bed,
Turned on the light.
Pulled down the shade,
Went to the kitchen for a bite…
Rolled up the shade,
Turned off the light,
I jumped back into bed,
It was the middle of the night…
The clock downstairs was striking four,
Couldn’t get you off my mind,
I heard the milkman at the door,
Cause I was tossin’ and turning,
Turning and tossin’,
Toss and turn all night…
Dr. Peter Hauri, Director of the Mayo Clinic Insomnia Program, co-authored a book titled, No More Sleepless Nights. He says that treating insomnia deals with any problem with falling asleep or staying asleep. He cites many causes for insomnia… but love is not among them.
Among the culprits are drugs that stimulate or are disruptive including caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine; poor diet or sleep-disturbing dining habits; lack of exercise, poor sleep environment, not having a natural sleep-wake rhythm; stress; and illness.
The senior net web site states that more than 100 million Americans suffer from occasional insomnia. An estimated 30 to 60 million older women suffer from chronic sleeplessness. Half of the nation’s adults have taken sleep medication, and millions use sleeping pills frequently.
Those among us who suffer from insomnia understand what it feels like to toss and turn all night and may well be able to identify with the writer of our text today, who was himself, an insomniac.
We are not given a clue as to why he was so upset that he could not sleep… We only know that he is deeply troubled about something and he spends a sleepless night crying out to God for help.
This is what he did. He prayed out loud. He held nothing back.
I. When you are so upset that you can’t sleep, use your “outside voice.”
I cry out to God without holding anything back… all night long I pray with hands lifted toward heaven, pleading. Psalm 77:1-3
(I wonder how many times his wife told him to stop his caterwauling, turn over, and go to sleep?)
On June 20, 2007 a piece ran in the newsday.com local news about a Long Island, New York couple who was issued a summons by a Bayville noise enforcement officer, ordering them to keep their children quiet. It seems that after three years of screaming, and shouting, and causing an unreasonable nuisance, a neighbor began making audio recording of the children as supportive evidence to document their complaints. One person commented, “My mother taught me about inside and outside voices, but she never taught me anything about raising the dead voices.”
I don’t know if the prayer was using his “inside” voice, his “outside” voice, or his “raising the dead” voice. But, he confesses, “I cry out to God without holding anything back. Oh, that God would listen to me!” The text says:
• He cried out holding nothing back. 77:1
• He lifted his hands toward heaven. 77:2
• He moaned with longing for help. 77:3
Asaph is seriously upset and uses his tossing and turning time to make his case known to God. He seized the occasion to express his prayer with deep inner longing, outstretched hands, and with urgency in his voice.
In expressing his displeasure with his lot in life, he also lets God know that he blamed God for the fact that he couldn’t sleep.
II. God gets blamed for many things, including insomnia.
You don’t let me sleep. Psalm 77:4
The blame game has been played for a long time.
Women get blamed...
When God confronted Adam in the Garden of Eden about having eaten from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” Adam admitted, “Yes, I ate of it, but it was the woman you gave me who brought me the fruit.”
On June 13, 2007, Australian news.com.au reported, “A nine-year analysis of Australian media reports concluded that responsibility for childhood obesity is placed squarely on parents, and almost entirely on mothers.”
However, in the interest of fair and balanced reporting, on June 13, 2007 the New Zealand Herald reported that, “ Fat children are more likely to have their father to blame for their weight problem than their mother, a new study shows.”
Research by Australian child health experts has revealed that fathers who are disengaged or do not set clear limits for their kids are more likely to have heavier children.
Dads who did lay down boundaries generally had children with a lower body mass index (BMI), the study of almost 5000 youngsters found.
Surprisingly, a mother’s parenting behavior or style apparently had no impact on whether a child was overweight or obese.
The devil gets blamed…
Flip Wilson of The Flip Wilson Show who died in 1998, is famous for his quote, “The devil made me do it!”
Robert Fulghum, author of Everything I Ever Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten is credited similarly for stating, “The devil made me do it the first time, and after that I did it on my own.”
And of course, God gets blamed…
Arlene Claire Cartwright takes on the role of God’s defense attorney in her book, Poor Old God, He Always Gets the Blame wrote, “When things go very badly, it is all too common for God to be blamed. People say things like, ‘it’s all in God’s plan,’ or ‘God is testing me,’ or ‘the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.’ It is always Poor Old God, He always gets the blame.”
Media Matters for America reported on January 5, 2006 that Televangelist Pat Robertson suggested that Ariel Sharon’s stroke occurred because he was “dividing God’s land.”
A writer for the Wichita Eagle Beacon wrote a tongue in cheek column on January 18, 2007 suggesting that perhaps the University of Kansas should blame God for their basketball foibles. He cited as examples:
New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin who suggested that hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that “God is mad at America.” And, Indianapolis Colts place kicker Mike Vanderjagt who stated, after missing a game-tying field goal, “I guess the Lord forgot about the football team.”
Paris Hilton has been in the news a great deal of late and it seems her stint in the LA County Jail has resulted in some thoughtful introspection on her part and that she is growing, as a person. However, on Friday, June 28, 2007, The Denver Post reported that when Paris Hilton was released from her stint in the LA County Jail, she appeared on The Larry King Live Show. At one point Larry King asked her, if she thought she got a “raw deal” to which she responded, “Yes.” She then added, “I feel like God does make everything happen for a reason.” In other words, God was responsible for her raw deal, which was ultimately for her own good.
And in our text today, Asaph blames God for his insomnia stating, “You don’t let me sleep.”
Perhaps, at one time or another, we have all considered laying responsibility for our plight in life on God’s doorstep.
In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey wrote of an interview with a man named Douglas. Douglas was something of a modern day Job and Yancey wanted to ask him if he was in any way disappointed with God.
Douglas’ wife had discovered a lump on her breast. Two years after her mastectomy, the doctors found that the cancer had spread to her lungs. Months of chemotherapy followed… months in which she suffered all of the debilitating effects. He watched her loose her hair, her appetite, her energy and strength. He watched her sink into fear and depression.
One night in the middle of this crisis, as he was driving his car, a drunk driver swerved across the centerline and crashed into them head-on. His wife was badly shaken but unhurt, his daughter suffered a broken arm and severe facial cuts, and he received a massive blow to the head that left him permanently disabled.
Douglas suffered from chronic migraine headaches, he became disoriented and forgetful, his vision was affected and one eye wandered at will… but he learned to cope with each of his disabilities.
Then, on the week of his interview, his wife had gotten word that the doctors had discovered another spot on her lung. Yancey thought, “If anyone had a right to be angry at God, Douglas did.” (P. 182)
During the interview Yancey asked Douglas, “Could you tell me about your own disappointment with God and what you have learned that might help someone else going through a difficult time?” Douglas replied, “I have learned, first through my wife’s illness and then especially through the accident, not to confuse God with life. We tend to think life should be fair because God is fair. But, God is not life. It is life that is not fair.” (P. 183) God may not be blamed for the unfairness in life, but God may be credited with the good that comes of it. (Romans 8:28-29)
However, in the throws of late night insomnia, when we are tired and exhausted and upset and angry, we confuse life with God and in some cases, as in the case of Asaph who asked six rapid fire questions:
• Has the Lord rejected me forever?
• Will he never again show me favor? (77:7)
• Is his unfailing love gone forever?
• Have his promises permanently failed? (77:8)
• Has God forgotten to be kind?
• Has he slammed the door of his compassion? (77:9)
Asaph let his imagination get away from him… he let his mind take an irrational leap.
III. Tired minds make irrational leaps.
You don’t let me sleep… and I said, “This is my fate, that the blessings of the Most High have changed to hatred.” Psalm 77:4-10
In our text we see that:
• Asaph was upset with the circumstances of his life.
• Asaph was so upset that he could not sleep.
• Asaph was so upset and tired that he blamed God for his insomnia.
• Asaph was so upset and tired that he assumed God had stopped loving him and had started hating him.
Some time ago, I watched a video of a very spoiled rich girl who was presented with a beautiful sports car on her birthday… her parents had her cover her eyes as they led her out of the house and to the drive. When she uncovered her eyes, she saw her beautiful new red sports car convertible and immediately went into hysterics. “I told you I wanted a blue car. How hard could it be to pick out a blue car. I have nothing red… everything I have is blue… I hate it!”
A more recent video shows a mother driving her daughter and her friends to a rehearsal a few days before her birthday. On the way, she turns her Cadillac Escalade into an indoor parking facility and proceeds to the top ramp level, where there is a new Lexus Sports Coupe parked with a large red ribbon on top. The mother excitedly presents her with the keys to her new car as all of her friends are gathered around gasping in wonder at the great gift she has just received. But, and the girl launches into a “you’ve ruined my birthday” tirade. “I wanted you to give me the car at my birthday party… I hate you. The party is off!”
How does a mind work that leaps from “Wow! You’ve just given me the keys to a $65,000 sports car, to, I hate you!” It just isn’t a rational thought process.
It is not a rational thought process that leaps from, “I can’t sleep to, God must hate me.” How does a person get from tossing and turning to God must hate me? But, just as an immature, self-absorbed mind can leap from love to hate… a weary mind can leap from, “I can’t sleep so God must not love me any more.”
However, in his weariness he begins to think more rationally… the fact that he deliberately brings to mind the goodness of God in the past, is an indication that he still has hope.
IV. When we recall the goodness of God, we keep hope alive.
I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. Psalm 77:11-20
In the text he said:
• I Remember God’s holiness – “O God, your ways are holy.” (77:13)
• I Remember God’s power – “You are the God of miracles and wonders!” (77:14)
• I Remember God’s love – “You have redeemed your people…” (77:15)
He remembered a time when God demonstrated his power in behalf of his people… a time when they were utterly desperate and without hope: The Exodus.
The Pharaoh’s army was chasing them and the Red Sea was before them. They could not go back and they could not go forward. They had an enemy intent on destroying them behind them and an impassable barrier in front of them. Behind them was an army that would destroy them and drag them back into slavery. Before them was a vast expanse of sea that would drown them.
We pick up the story in Exodus 14:1-4 where God tells the Israelites, right up front, “My plan is to liberate you from an impossible situation. You will be trapped between the wilderness and the sea, but I will rescue you in such a dramatic way that I will receive great glory and the Egyptians? Well, they will know that I am the Lord!”
You know the story… we have read and reread it in our bibles. We have heard the story told and retold in Sunday school and from the pulpit. We have watched Cecil DeMille’s 1956 remake of the 1923 Hollywood production of The 10 Commandments with its bluer than blue skies, beautiful costumes, elaborate sets, and before their time special effects.
In the scene of the Exodus, viewed by many as one of the most spectacular in all of films, Rameses, the Pharaoh of Egypt, watches as Charleton Heston, playing the role of Moses, lifts his hands parting the Red Sea… he watches as the Israelites make it through the path between the parted waters and he watches as those waters close in over his army. Then we see him in despair returning and telling the Queen, “His god is God.”
But before all of that unfolded, the Israelites forgot what God said he would do, so as Pharaoh’s army approached the bible says they panicked and demanded to know why Moses had brought them out into the wilderness to die. Moses, however, did not forget. He said, “Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you.” (77:10-14)
In Psalm 77:11-20, the Psalmist finally does what he should have done first. The first thing he did was ask God to rescue him and the last thing he does is remember that in the past… by failing to begin with hope, he moved from distress to despair, to loss of faith. Perhaps his sense of hopelessness could have been averted had he begun with remembering.
Do you remember the little prayer guide acronymn A C T S?
A = Adoration - In adoration, we acknowledge who God is and what God is like. In our story the Psalmist said, “God, you are holy. God, you are a worker of miracles and wonders. God, you are a God who loves his people and who had demonstrated that love time and time again…”
C = Confession - In confession, we acknowledge that unlike God who is holy, we are not. In confession, we realize that God is okay but maybe we aren’t… and we don’t want anything in or about our lives to be a hindrance to God. We know that the bible teachers that, “If we regard sin in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us.” Isaiah 59:1 So, we confess our sins and ask God to forgive us so that there is no barrier to our communication.
T = Thanksgiving - In thanksgiving, we express our gratitude for what God has done in the past and for what God will do in the future. In thanksgiving, we thank God in for what has been done in the past and in advance for what God will do in the future. Thanksgiving is an expression of hope and faith. Thanksgiving is expressed in anticipation of God’s action.
In the book of Philippians, we are instructed: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. When you do this you will experience God’s peace…” (Philippians 4:6)
S = Supplication - In supplication, we ask God for what we want or need… having acknowledged God’s ability to act, having removed any barriers to our prayers, having expressed thanksgiving for what we believe God will do. Having prepared the way, so to speak, we then “cry out to God without holding back…”
When we remember the goodness of God, we keep hope alive.
The next time you find yourself tossing and turning, I want you to try something… I want you to do what Asaph did. I want you to recall or remember what the Lord has done. The way you do that is like looking at your photo albums.
Bonnie and I have box or two of old photos and we have some albums… you tend to collect a lot of photographs over thirty-seven years. Not everything in those thirty-seven years was all that spectacular but most of it has been good and the photographs capture the good.
It is good to thumb through the wedding album and photos of those early years. It is good to remember when Pat arrived and when Lorri and Corky were born. It is good to see how we were and where we lived and to remember how good life was when the kiddos were little. It is good to remember the trip we took on Amtrak from McCook, Nebraska to Philadelphia, PA and back… we had fun in our nine hour layover in Chicago. We rode the elevator to the top of Sears Tower, we walked to Lake Michigan and toured the Aquarium. We toured the Museum of Natural History and rode in a taxicab. Ah… God has been good to us over the years.
When you are tossin’ and turning and you can’t sleep, bring out your photo album of memories, and remember the goodness of the Lord… remembering will give you hope in the midst of whatever is keeping you awake.
