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From Brokenness to Blessed Assurance: Walking from the Valley of Despair into the Assurance of God’s Love
I once read of a traveler who lost his way while crossing a desert. As the sun went down, the desert became a place of fear. Every shadow seemed threatening, every sound magnified. He stumbled forward, thirsty, exhausted, with no idea if he would survive the night. But then—just before dawn—he saw a faint glow on the horizon. Slowly the light spread, and the landscape that seemed so terrifying at night was suddenly filled with beauty and direction in the morning light.
This is where the promise of the advent becomes clear to us. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). I realise that one of the best ways of fully understanding this verse is to study the contrast between Psalm 22 and Psalm 23. So let us dive in.
Over the past several weeks, we have been journeying together through Psalm 23. And what a journey it has been! We’ve seen that the heart of this Psalm is not simply about green pastures and still waters—it is about complete dependence on the Lord, our Shepherd. It is about trusting Him for provision, for guidance, for protection, and for eternal hope. In many ways, Psalm 23 has become for us a picture of the life of faith: a life lived under the Shepherd’s care.”
But here’s something remarkable. Psalm 23 is placed right after Psalm 22. When you look at it you realise that it is as if God wanted us to see His protection and provision in stark contrast to the despair and pain that we often go through. the movement from Psalm 22 into Psalm 23 is what the traveler experienced. Psalm 22 is the darkness of the desert night—the cries of pain, loneliness, and despair. Psalm 23 is the sunrise that changes everything. The Shepherd doesn’t remove the desert, but His presence transforms how we walk through it. The very same valley that terrified us in the night becomes safe because His rod and staff comfort us. You know, light shines brighter in darkness. Water tastes sweeter when you are very thirsty. Food tastes a lot better after a fast. In the same way Psalm 23 shines even brighter when we place it right next to Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is the cry of a broken heart: ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?’ It is raw, painful, and honest. In contrast, Psalm 23 is the calm voice of assurance: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.’ And when we realize that Psalm 23 follows Psalm 22, it becomes clear: our confidence in the Shepherd is not naïve, it is forged in the valley of despair.
How do we get from Psalm 22 to Psalm 23? From despair to confidence? That’s what I’d like us to reflect on today. I have titled my message “From Brokenness to Blessed Assurance: Walking from the Valley of Despair into the Assurance of God’s Love”
Let us start by reading the first two verses of Psalm 22. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? 2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. (Psalm 22:1-2)
David’s cry here is a raw cry . This is not polished theology. It is the cry of a broken heart. It is a cry of a child who feels separated from his/her parents. It is deep anguish.
From this feeling of abandonment David goes into a place of rejection and ridicule. Verses 6 to 9 is about how he is being rejected by everyone around him and ridiculed for his trust in the Lord.
Then in verses 12–18, David paints a vivid picture of overwhelming enemies and crushing weakness: he feels surrounded by fierce bulls and roaring lions, symbols of powerful adversaries. His strength is poured out like water, his bones out of joint, his heart melted like wax—an image of complete vulnerability. Finally, he is mocked, stripped, and left to the point of death, with his enemies even casting lots for his clothes—words that prophetically echo the suffering of Christ on the cross.
I just returned from a Missions conference organised by the India Missions Association, where I had the privilege of facilitating the three day consultation for 350 missionaries. The people who were there at that conference knows what David is talking about. They know about the feeling of abandonment, they feel the pain of rejection only too well. They face ridicule on a daily basis. They are surrounded by enemies who want to threaten them and discourage them and try to destroy them. For them in the mission field, Psalm 22 is a real scenario of today. Many of us might not be in the position of the Missionaries, and yet I am sure many of have felt David’s emotions some time of the other.
So how does David move from this despair , loneliness, rejection and ridicule to a place of perfect peace found in Psalm 23? How does he move from brokenness to a place of blessed assurance? We can learn a few simple steps from Psalm 22.
The first sign of the move from Brokenness to blessed assurance we see is when, even in his anguish he is reposing his trust in the Lord. In Psalm 22:3-5 he says But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed. Note that this affirmation is not coming as an afterthought, but right amidst his cry of anguish. In verses 1 and 2 he cries out to God and then immediately in verses 3-5 he affirms his trust in God. He is not waiting for an answer for his prayers before he affirms his faith in God. He is affirming his faith in God amidst the anguish.
So the first lesson from Psalm 22 is this . Faith is not about having answers—it’s about holding on to God even when the answers don’t come.
Secondly we see that David reaffirms his identity when he is rejected and ridiculed. In Psalm 22:9-10 he asserts. But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother’s breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God. He is reaffirming who he is and whose he is. He is confessing that his identity does not come from who his friends are. His identity comes from the fact that he belongs to God.
That is the second lesson from Psalm 22. For going from brokenness to blessed assurance, we need to have clear identity. We need to know that our identity does not come from our friends or possessions or positions. Our identity comes from a God who created us in His image.
Thirdly we see that David cries out to God for rescuing him. In Psalm 22:19-21 David cries out to God. But You, O Lord, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me! 20 Deliver Me from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog. 21 Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! David is brutally honest. He is admitting that this is not something he can do by himself. He is pleading for help.
The third lesson for going from brokenness to blessed assurance is the fact that Prayer is not about pretending. It is about pouring our souls before God so He can fill us with His strength. Prayer is not weakness. It is calling in divine reinforcements
And finally we see that the feeling of abandonment, the feeling of despair, of rejection of ridicule, of fear, all those terrible feelings are replaced by an awesome praise and worship. Psalm 22: 22-31 is one of the very beautiful worship verses we can see in the Bible. I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. 23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard. 25 My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever! 27 All the ends of the world Shall remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations Shall worship before You. 28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. 29 All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive. 30 A posterity shall serve Him. It will be recounted of the Lord to the next generation, 31 They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, That He has done this. David is moving his eyes from the problems that surround him, the enemy that surrounds him, the troubles that he has. David is moving his eyes to the Lord. These worship verses lead us straight into the blessed assurance of Psalm 23. David worship becomes the bridge between Psalm 22 and Psalm 23.
The fourth lesson from Psalm 22 on moving from brokenness to blessed assurance is this. When we lift our eyes from the problems around us to the Lord, our perspective will transform.
Isn’t the journey from brokenness to blessed assurance a beautiful journey? During our last holiday we were driving from Bangalore to Goa. Somewhere before Hubli, the google maps showed us a shorter route that might save us some time. So we decided to take that, and drove away from the highway. After a few kilometers of driving we entered a reserved forest area and a few kilometers into the forest area, we lost the signal and hence the GPS navigation was lost. We felt anxious. The road was narrow, it was deserted, and it was a bad road. We didn’t k now where to turn, and there is no one to ask for directions . The lack of the GPS guidance made us very anxious. The fact that we had six children with us in the vehicle made it even more frightening. But we persevered and finally when the GPS signal was restored peace returned. Psalm 22 is about that situation where we feel that our connection with the Lord is lost, we will get anxious, we will doubt, but if we persevere, and hold on to our faith we will reach Psalm 23.
Corrie Ten Boom, who suffered in a Nazi concentration camp, once said, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it’s dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off—you sit still and trust the driver. Isn’t it a calming thought to know that we are in a train piloted by our Lord and we can completely trust him despite the trials and sufferings that might come our way?
Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:12-14 (NKJV) Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. Trials and sufferings are part of our life. It will come to us. It came to David. David found a way to walk from the valley of despair to the assurance of God’s love through the four step process of
1. Faith
2. Identity
3. Prayer and
4. Focus on God
We can also undertake that journey of walking from the valley of despair to assurance of God’s love and thereby convert our brokenness into blessed assurance.
Let us Pray
Benediction: 1 Peter 5:10-11 (NKJV) But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
May the love of the Father, the abounding grace of Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy spirit abide with you. AMEN
