May 30
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PSALM 88 ARE YOUR WONDERS KNOWN IN DARKNESS?
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 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? – Psalm 88:8-12
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MY EYES GROW DIM THROUGH SORROW by ILMA
My Lord, I cry out to you as I am in this chasm of darkness
You have allowed my closest friends to continue their wickedness
I feel so isolated and trapped in this silence that you give me
My eyes grow dim through the pain, sorrow and adversity
How long will you let me suffer Lord, have I not been faithful?
Lord, I call on you daily and yet they continue all their ridicules
Have mercy on me and let me feel your presence again
Show the enemy that their tactics are all in vain
I will not survive this world if your presence is ambiguous
Give me strength to continue to overcome this darkness
Lead me to a place where your assurance of your love is present
Deliver me out of this pit where I cannot experience your presence.
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REFLECTION
• Why does the psalmist sound so desperate and depressed in this individual lament?
• What was the cause of the psalmist’s grief when he wrote this psalm?
• Why is it important not to dwell on our feelings as this psalm illustrates?