When Darkness Is Your Closest Friend
One of the men that has been a great blessing to me through his writing ministry is Paul Tripp. If you can ever get hold of a copy of “Instruments In The Redeemer’s Hands” you won’t be disappointed!
On Monday Paul posted an article on his website entitled: Darkness is my closest friend. Here is an excerpt:
There’s an outlier to my above case study. Psalm 88 ends in a very troubling way: “You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.” I personally like how the NIV translates that last verse: “Darkness is my closest friend.”
Why would God ever put this ugly, depressive, and utterly hopeless Psalm in the Bible? Why doesn’t the author find peace and refuge and comfort at the end like the rest?
You see, there will be seemingly hopeless moments in your life. There will be seasons when you don’t think anything good can result. Unlike the author in Psalm 4, you won’t be able to say, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
TIME TO RESPOND
What do you do in those moments, when your world comes crashing down and all hope seems lost? Maybe you will tragically and inexplicably lose a loved one; maybe you don’t know anything about what the future holds; maybe your dreams will be shattered and lost forever.
One day, you’ll face a Psalm 88 moment. If you don’t, God will place you next to someone who is. I’ve found there are 3 ways to think about life through the lens of the Gospel during these times:1. Cry out to God
The Bible encourages you to ask hard questions. Scripture is filled with people who faced tragedy and cried out to God. Go to the Ruler of it all and don’t be afraid to ask what’s happening.
2. Draw near to Jesus.
Jesus is a closer Friend than darkness. He faced the harshest realities of life and the ultimate rejection of God. He knows what you’re going through, and He sympathizes with your suffering.
3. Reach out for help.
Stop faking spiritual maturity! Run to the body of Christ and admit that your life is a mess. In fact, if you’re in a small group or Bible study this week, I would encourage you to hijack the discussion on what you liked about Sunday’s sermon and say, “Here’s what I’m dealing with; I can’t face it on my own any longer; I need help!
Psalm 88 is, in fact, a hopeful Psalm, precisely because God included it in His hope-filled Book. You can face the darkest realities of your life because your Father is sovereign and Jesus is your closest Friend.
You can read the entire article here.
If you are facing problems in your life similar to the Psalmist, run to Christ! If you have a spiritual need and we can be of help, please get in touch by email or phone 0976153466.