PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Psalm 88
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Darkness is my closest friend.” (Psalm 88:18)
According to the title, this psalm was written by Heman the Ezrahite.
When I grew up, Heman was the master of the universe.
But this Heman is not so strong: he is hopeless, discouraged, defeated.
The verse above is the last line, where his prayer ends.
All the other psalms end in hope, but not this one.
I like how God inspires this depressed person to express his hopelessness.
It shows me depression is not sin, and God is not against the depressed.
“Darkness will not be dark to you… darkness is as light to you.” (Psalm 139:12)
God is with Heman in his darkness, and we can be sure of this too.
Do you feel like there is no way out?
Do you feel like darkness is your closest friend?
Jesus came into our darkness to find us, to be with us, and to lead us out.
It may take a while, but Jesus Master of the Universe won’t let you down!
He is your closest friend, whether you feel it or not.
PRAYER
Lord, master of the universe, remind me that you are my closest friend, even when I am in the dark. Inspire me to pray even hopeless prayers like Heman, because hopeless prayer is still better than no prayer.
Ultimately – who can I depend on? It is God who saves me – but if he seems far away and unresponsive – I have nothing less – if my friends ignore me – who do I have. I think of some of the ‘rejected’ people in our society – who have got caught up in substance addiction and lost everything – and for them it seems no-one cares. Who can they depend on? Do they cry out to God – or do they feel like the Psalmist – that God has ignored them – is irrelevant? How can I – how can the Christian community express love to them – that we can at least be ‘friendly’ to them – even in their darkness we can bring light!
At all times I need to call upon the name of the Lord for He is my God, my Hope, my Security, my Stronghold. In the good times I am less likely to call upon Him and in the darker days, I will pour out my heart to Him. He will answer in His time and not mine. I know that He is always with me and He listens and gives me the strength each day anew to meet the challenges of the day. He hears when I cry unto Him.
Hear My Cry, Oh Lord,
Attend Unto My Prayer.
From The Ends Of The Earth,
Will I Cry Out To Thee.
And When My Heart Is Overwhelmed,
Lead Me To The Rock
That Is Higher Than I…
That Is Higher Than I…
For Thou Hast Been,
A Shelter Unto Me,
A High Tower, Lord,
Against The Enemy.
And When My Heart Is Overwhelmed,
Lead Me To The Rock
That Is Higher Than I…
That Is Higher Than I…
And When My Heart Is Overwhelmed,
Lead Me To The Rock
That Is Higher Than I…
That Is Higher Than I…