Day 8

Read: 

Psalm 88-89

Dig Deeper:

After reading through Psalm 88, you may have needed that pick me up found in Psalm 89. Psalm 88 is distinct among lamentation Psalms for it's almost completely negative nature. The only sense of hope in Psalm 88 is found in the very first line highlighting God as "God of my salvation". Outside of that, we find 18 verses filled with utter desolation and despair. This Psalm is prophetic of the type of suffering Christ would endure. Next time you're reading through the crucifixion account, flip back to Psalm 88 to get a better picture at Jesus' inner life in that moment.

Luckily, the Psalmist wrote a second Psalm to pair with the somber 88. This Psalm is filled with thanksgiving and praise. It highlights the covenant promise that God made with King David, through whom God promised to bring the Ultimate King of Israel whose rule would never end. The most interesting thing to note in Psalm 89 though isn't the prophetic language or grandiose gratitude, instead, it's the fact that there is some type of political upset happening. At the time that this Psalm was written, the throne of Israel was in disarray. From the outside, this would look like a threat to God's promise given to David of an everlasting throne for his offspring. This Psalm is not written as a lament, but instead, it points as a reminder and appeal to God's promises.

Standing on the other side of prophetic fulfillment, we know that God did in fact keep his covenant promise with David, and that his offspring, Jesus, has established an eternal Kingdom with an everlasting rule.

As a pair, these Psalms point us to a specific reality--the tension found between lament and gratitude. For some of us, we may feel that it is wrong to mourn circumstances in our lives. We may feel that Christians should always feel happy all of the time. If that is you today, I want to remind you the Jesus himself is known as "The Man of Sorrows". As we read in Psalm 88, Jesus was acquainted with more grief and sadness than any of us have ever known. God allows us to feel grief so that we can draw closer to Him and look more like Jesus.

On the other hand, some of us may feel that it is inauthentic to practice gratitude when we are feeling mournful. But this philosophy is contrary to the example the Psalmist gives us in Psalm 89. In the middle of his difficult circumstances, when He can't see how God will turn things around, He chooses to remember God's promises and even to say thank you for them. Little did he know that about a millenia later, a baby would be born in David's hometown, that would be the promise fulfilled.

In the middle of whatever difficulty you are going through today, remember, that grief can be good when paired with gratitude. In fact, good grief and gratitude are both very important in our lives, and we shouldn't have one without the other. Just like He did for the Psalmist who wrote today's Psalms, God is near and is working things out in ways you may never expect.

Declaration: Say this next statement out loud as a declaration of what you have learned today.

I will be grateful in the middle of my grief. I trust that God is working things out behind the scenes.

Pray:

God, thank You for the things You are doing that I don't understand and can't see. I trust You in every circumstance. Help me to draw closer to You when I grieve, and help me to hold onto your promises for me. I trust You with all of these things. Amen.