The Gift of Asaph: A Blueprint for Dealing with Spiritual Crisis

Editor’s Note: This post is part of our Mental Health Series during September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month. In case you missed them, here are the articles in the series so far:

• Mental Health is Raging on Our College Campuses – Are We Prepared to Deal With it?
• “Help, I’m suicidal”: How to Respond to Suicidal Ideation
• A Minister’s Experience Finding Help Through Professional Counseling
• 8 Tips for Helping Students with Anxiety

Can we hit pause for a moment and recognize that the world is filled with people who are dealing with all kinds of terrible things every day? Physical attacks. Mental illnesses. Woes, miseries, losses and failures too numerous to mention. We have an entire month of the year devoted to suicide awareness and prevention because suicide is the tenth leading cause of death among Americans, the second leading cause of death in 10-34-year-olds.

While we’re at it, can we take a moment to recognize that in the middle of it all, some of us feel hurt and abandoned, betrayed and alone, as if God himself wasn’t there? Can we take a deep breath and admit that, even as ministry leaders, we’re not okay?

Yes. We can. We should. There’s even a psalm to that effect.

Say hello to Psalm 77. If you haven’t read it recently, maybe you should. It’s one of those easy-to-skip-ones buried in the middle of more famous and exciting passages like Psalm 23 or Psalm 121. The author, a famous worship leader by the name of Asaph, starts out by admitting that he is struggling, questioning God, doubting His Word. Asaph doesn’t take the time to unpack what caused this crisis of faith; he just backs up the truck and dumps out all of his negative thoughts and feelings. 

Then, just when it seems like he’s about to launch a full-on pity party, an interesting thing happens. Instead of wallowing in his distress, Asaph pushes through it and finds his way back to God. In so doing, he gives the rest of us a gift, a blueprint for dealing with spiritual crisis. 

Four Steps for Walking Through Spiritual Crisis

Here are the four steps Asaph took—maybe they’ll help you, too.

Step One: Pray Out Loud

The psalm begins, “I cry aloud to God.” Through it all, Asaph never stops praying, and although prayer in general feels like pretty cliché advice, it works. 

Never underestimate the power of prayer. 

That said, Asaph doesn’t just sit quietly and “think towards God;” he cries out loud. If your soul is in anguish, don’t be silent! Speak your thoughts. Hearing the sound of your own voice can be very powerful. Even though God knows beforehand what you will say, the exercise is still beneficial to you. 

Step Two: Speak Your Mind

Asaph doesn’t tiptoe around the issue. In his distress, he doubts God. He asks in verse eight, 

“Are his [God’s] promises at an end for all time?” 

That may seem dark, but that’s kind of the point. Asaph is in a dark place. We all get there sometimes. If you haven’t been there, don’t worry; your turn is coming. The good news is that your doubt cannot diminish God’s greatness. Rejoice in the knowledge that God can handle whatever you feel like dishing out. That’s what loving parents do.

Step Three: Meditate

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds,” says Asaph in verse twelve. To be clear, he isn’t talking about emptying his mind of all thought and becoming one with nature. He is talking about focusing his mind on the ways God has worked in the world. For Asaph, this means remembering and carefully considering God’s treatment of Israel in the past and His incredible power over nature. For you, that might mean simply thinking about the various ways God has made Himself known to you and worked in your life.

Step Four: Worship

Worship has been defined as recognizing God for who he is, and that’s what Asaph is doing by the time he hits verse fourteen, 

“You are the God who works wonders…” 

His meditation continues to the end of the psalm, but by now you have the clear impression that he’s on a roll. Gone are the dark thoughts of doubt and despair that started his sorrowful song; now his mind is recalling how amazing God is as he considers all that God has done. Sometimes that’s all we need.

Now, here’s the kicker: Do you know when the best time to practice these steps is? You might be tempted to say that the best time is the time when you’re in deepest darkest distress, but you’d be wrong. 

The best time, the very best time, to walk through Asaph’s crisis plan is right now. 

Think about it this way: the best time to stake down your tent isn’t in the middle of the storm; it’s any time before the storm arrives. Staking down the tent is an important part of setting up camp. When the stakes are driven down deep, you can sleep right through a windy night. Camp out often enough, and it becomes second nature. 

In the same way, if you take time before life gets hairy to talk honestly with God about the things that are really on your mind, to meditate on what He has done in your life, and to give Him praise for who He is—the author and sustainer of the universe—then when the storms arrive, not only will they hit with less force as you are protected from their impact, but you’ll know exactly how to handle them.

Are you a pastor or ministry leader who is struggling with anxiety, depression, addiction, or other mental health issues? You are not alone, and there is help and hope for you. Visit https://mobaptist.org/helpforleaders/ for access to confidential help and resources. 

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/