May 10, 2017

TRUSTING GOD WITH YOUR SALVATION MEANS YOU CAN TRUST HIM WITH YOUR PAIN

Psalm 88

Jeff Ward
Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2017

Wednesday's Devo

May 10, 2017

Central Truth

The darkness of our pain and suffering brings us a decision: will we choose to love and serve God because of who He is (the author of our salvation) rather than the material blessings He may or may not give us?

Key Verse | Psalm 88:1

O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
(Psalm 88:1)

Psalm 88

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil 1 88:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms of Heman the Ezrahite.

O LORD, God of my salvation,
    I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry!

For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
    for they are cut off from your hand.
You have put me in the depths of the pit,
    in the regions dark and deep.
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah

You have caused my companions to shun me;
    you have made me a horror 2 88:8 Or an abomination to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
    my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
    I spread out my hands to you.
10  Do you work wonders for the dead?
    Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11  Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12  Are your wonders known in the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13  But I, O LORD, cry to you;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14  O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
15  Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. 3 88:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
16  Your wrath has swept over me;
    your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17  They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in on me together.
18  You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness. 4 88:18 Or darkness has become my only companion

Footnotes

[1] 88:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
[2] 88:8 Or an abomination
[3] 88:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
[4] 88:18 Or darkness has become my only companion

Dive Deeper | Psalm 88

If I am honest, when I am around faithful but suffering believers, whether from extreme poverty, chronic illness, or persecution, there is a tension that surfaces. There is still part of me that believes if we do enough “good” things for God, He will “bless” us with a good job, nice home, conflict-free marriage, and well-behaved kids.

I remember talking with a new believer from Iran who literally lost his business, his family, and his freedom when he declared his faith in Jesus. He escaped and was participating in intensive training through our ministry partner. When I asked him whether he intended to seek safety in the U.S., he looked at me bewildered and said, “No, Brother Jeff! I will return to lead others to Jesus. We believe in two blessings: the blessing of salvation and the blessing of suffering.”

I must admit, as I was reading the painful, dark lament of Psalm 88, I kept waiting for the resolution of the writer's pain, but it never comes. The writer has “one foot in the grave” physically and is not far behind spiritually and emotionally. And yet, this psalm was intentionally included here and entitled a “maskil.” Therefore, it has something important to teach us.

This psalmist, like my friend, had a theology based on who God is, not what they had been given. In the midst of his darkness, the psalmist kept praying . . .  and prayed some more. His relationship with the Lord of his salvation was deep. This recognition of who God is and what He had done was the breath of truth in his lungs, even as he exhaled pain and desperation. If he could trust God with his eternal salvation, he could trust God with his pain.

In the darkness, we are faced with this same choice: will we love and serve God simply because of who He is? Will we love him even when all we “receive” is hardship? Will we remember that our salvation is rooted in Jesus’ suffering on the cross and what He achieved for us there?

Discussion Questions

1. Do we believe that suffering can be a blessing in our lives as much as material provisions might be? Does suffering serve a purpose in our lives, to purify and to remove the things from our lives that hinder us from knowing Him more deeply? How? (Philippians 3:19; James 1:2-4)

2. Do we believe that it is part of our calling as believers in Christ to “share in the fellowship of His sufferings”? Do we believe that we cannot and will not enjoy the power of His resurrection until we participate in His sufferings? (Philippians 1:29; 1 Peter 4:19)

3. How should these truths affect the way we share the gospel with others? Do we make room for suffering as a key part of our Christian faith and walk? Or are we intentionally or unintentionally sharing a health, wealth, and prosperity gospel? (1 Peter 2:21)