PSALM 88:1-13 – 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 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. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
THEME OF THE DAY: PRAYER: A CLEAR SIGN OF BEING A CHRISTIAN. What is one of the clearest pieces of evidence characterizing a true child of God? We might be quick to say, “love for other Christians” and that would be correct – We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death (1 John 3:14). Jesus, Himself, affirms His people, His real people, love His people – “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Yes, a distinguishing mark in true disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ is His love within them producing an impartial, active and genuine love for other Christians; a love that bears all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. This means, we will not gossip about or slander other believers, have unreconciled relationships with other believers, avoid other believers, ignore encouraging other believers and harbor ill thoughts toward other believers.
But there is another evidence that affirms our adoption into God’s family. It is found in today’s scripture and the testimony of the Apostle Paul. First, the Apostle Paul. When he was converted on the Damascus Road, the very first word of his testimony of being a new creature in Christ was him being a man of prayer – And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying (Acts 9:11). And it was the Lord, Himself, that gave this testimony! Would the Lord be able to say that of us, “Behold, (our names) prays”? Now today’s scripture.
This psalm is one of, if not the darkest, in the entire book of Psalms. It was written by a godly man named Heman, and he is suffering – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet, there is no indication he is suffering because of sin. God, in His mysterious ways, has brought Heman into the spiritual depths of deep despair. What this teaches us is that God’s children, and not because of sin, may experience incredible pain, but notice what Heman does – he prays out of his pain. Spend time in today’s scripture, the entire psalm even, and notice he does not abandon prayer. He cannot. Nor can a true child of God. It is a natural impulse in the spiritual newborn. And that, along with love, are the two greatest pieces of evidence affirming we are indeed God’s children.
PRAYER: “Father, thank You for Your marvelous gift, privilege, and responsibility of prayer.”
QUOTE: “One the clearest evidences of being a Christian is the natural impulse to pray.”
Because of Him,
Pastor Jim