Praying Through the Pain – Ps 88
Psalm 88 is a sad Psalm. It doesn’t really have a happy ending. The author Heman was going through some kind of Job-like suffering that seemed to be caused by God and to which there seemed to be no reprieve.
But what is amazing and what he may have learned from Job is that he continued to pray through the pain. He never stopped looking to the Lord, talking to the Lord, sharing His burdens with the Lord. He says that he had been crying ‘day and night’ (v.1) and, ‘I have called daily upon thee’ (v.9). And he made a commitment to keep praying to God in the morning (v.13).
Psalm 88:13 But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; And in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
Possibly the thing that sustained him, just like Job, was not so much deliverance from the trial but the fact that he could talk to God in the trial. Knowing that the Lord knew and the Lord heard him were part of God’s grace in His life. One day his pain and all pain will be done away with for those who believe on Him, but in the meantime, God is our constant Companion and Lord upon whom we can cast our burdens and know that He will sustain us.
Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for Your sustaining grace and caring heart. Thank You that I can always turn to You at any moment and in every situation. Thank You that You know all about our pain because You came into our world and suffered more than any man. Help me to not allow pain to cause my heart to turn away but rather help me to turn more to You in the pain. Be with those I know who are in pain at this moment, comfort their hearts, and encourage them in their walks. Let them know that You never leave them nor forsake them.
Thank you for this encouraging devotion!