Week 18
Psalm 88:6-7 “You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths. Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all your waves.”
The psalmist has sunk to the lowest emotional point possible. He describes his mood as being in the “lowest pit”, “dark places”, “in the depths.” His experience in life feels like God has “afflicted” him with all God’s “waves”, like God’s “wrath” rests on him. Wave after wave of disappointment, fear, and a sense of abandonment sweeps over him like large, dark waves of the sea.
There is no deeper and darker pit of discouragement than to think that God has turned His eyes from you, that He no longer favors and blesses you with His mercy and grace. This is a dark place indeed. There is nothing like it.
How many of us have found ourselves in a desperate place in life where we feel like the air of life has been sucked out of us? These are moments of despair that can only be understood by those who have shared such a journey.
It is not that God is absent in the psalmist’s life, it is that God is turned against him. Perhaps we entertain thoughts in such a moment that God is mad at us, or that He is punishing us for some sin or indiscretion. Thus, in such times, on top of the pain of believing God has turned away, we also feel the weight of guilt and shame. Job certainly felt that way. As his friends stabbed him with accusations, Job felt the pain of losing friendships and God’s help all at the same time. As Job endured the loss of children in death, the loss of all his earthly wealth, and even his bodily health, Job’s friends attacked him, instead of comforting him.
But we must also understand that the psalmist says something very important and necessary for the sustaining of the soul in such dark times. The psalmist repeatedly refers to God doing these things. God has caused such hard times in the psalmist’s life, and there is a hidden hope in that. When we contemplate that God is too wise to make a mistake and too good to do any wrong, we come to realize that God is working for our good. This is the promise clearly portrayed in Romans 8:28. Whatever comes, God has brought it to pass. And God is bringing it to pass for our good and His glory. Thus, we can yield to Him our fears, our hurts, our struggles, knowing that God is working on our behalf, even in the pit of dark despair.
This day in whatever situation we are in, let’s look to the Lord and trust Him. Let us look to the Lord and yield to Him. Let us look to the Lord and let us say, “YES”, to Him. All will be well.
Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes I feel like I am in the lowest pit of despair, but I also know that you are with me. I know that You are working in my life. And I trust fully and personally in You. Amen.
