April 24
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LORD, WHY DO YOU CAST MY SOUL AWAY?
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you?
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. 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. – Psalm 88:10-18
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The ESV student bible notes on verses 10-12 “Do you work wonders for the dead?” If one were to die under God’s wrath, then he could not anticipate any experience of God’s wonders, or any chance to praise him. Darkness is the last word of the psalm. Yet the faithful know that there is no alternative but to keep seeking the Lord in prayer.
We can almost hear the lament and the loud emotions of the psalmist as we read this part of this song. He clearly knows the Lord very well as he mentions God’s steadfast love. Yet, we hear his desperate helplessness as his own friend and beloved have shunned him. I empathize so much with the psalmist as I recall a feeling of betrayal when our loved ones reject us and what we believe in. Despite the tone of desperation and hopelessness, we still hear his humble heart asking God assurance that he will be delivered and one day have peace instead of feeling overwhelmed and helpless. We clearly see the honesty in the turmoil he is going through as he lay down all his weaknesses and dejection to God.
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ADORATION: Praise the God who is full of Mercy and Compassion.
CONFESSION: Forgive me when I give in to my feelings and emotions.
THANKSGIVING: Thank you for giving us a heart that can empathize with others.
SUPPLICATION: May we be honest to God with all the hardships and suffering we go through.
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REFLECTION
• Do you think God honors those who are honest with their emotions? Why or why not?