They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
— Psalm 107:27-30

We’ve all been there. We’ve all reached our wits’ end. And in saying “we,” I mean everyone. Your spouse. Your children. Your neighbor. Your coworker. Your boss. The person in front of you in the grocery line. The clerk at the register. The waiter at the restaurant. Everyone has been at their wits’ end. And in this world, many are there now. It even seems that for many, being at their wits’ end is a source of comfort. They know no other way to live. It’s as if stress, busyness, short tempers, lack of sleep, etc. are all justified because we are at our wits’ end.

But what if we could be delivered from our distress? What if the storm of our lives could be stilled? What if the billowing waves of our lives could be hushed?

Take a moment to read the following by pastor John Piper:

If you read Psalm 107 you’ll notice that it talks about God rescuing people who are in trouble. You’ll also notice that a number of them are in trouble because of their own sin. Nevertheless, God comes to them when they cry out to him, and he rescues them over and over again. So whether you’ve wrecked your life with drugs, abortion, wrong divorce, multiple marriages, illicit sex, lying, or fraud, you can see from this psalm that those things do not disqualify you from God’s rescue. The people in the psalm got themselves into their situations by their own stupidity—rather than someone else’s persecution against them—yet God still hears their cry and saves them.

And when you go to the cross you see what it is that makes this kind of mercy possible. The fact that Jesus died in our place, covered all our sin, took all our guilt, removed all our condemnation, and has provided us with a perfection and a righteousness which we could never perform on our own—this is the ground upon which everyone who trusts in him can claim the same mercy from Psalm 107 for themselves. Because of the cross we can know that our own situation right now does not rule us out of God’s blessing, favor, and care.

Because of the cross of Christ, we can be delivered from our distress. Because of the cross of Christ, the storm of our lives can be stilled. Because of the cross of Christ, the billowing waves of our lives can be hushed.

Hear Jesus say to you, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

And hear him say, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26).

Everyone needs to hear the words of our Savior. So countercultural and life-giving are his words. You need to hear those words. Your spouse needs to hear them. Your children need to hear them. Your neighbor needs to hear them. Your coworker needs to hear them. Your boss needs to hear them. The person in front of you in the grocery line needs to hear them. The clerk at the register needs to hear them. The waiter at the restaurant needs to hear them. We all need the life-giving words of our crucified Savior and risen Lord.