Daily Devotional for Saturday, September 14

Suffering from Prayer and Persecution

“O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; for my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave,” Psalm 88:1-3.

This psalm unquestionably is a heartfelt plea to the Lord. It does not mention why his soul is troubled, but it is so extreme he feels as one who has been cut off. When your heart is heavy, do you find it hard to tell the Lord your deepest hurts? Though it is not easy, this psalm and many others are great examples to follow when you need to cry out to the Lord.

His first plea is to be heard. He feels abandoned. There is also mention of affliction that has come from God. He does not turn from God; he appeals to Him. He has been left alone, and feels as the dead because of it, but he continues to call daily on the Lord. He is asking the Lord if He would show His kindness in the dark, because that is what is consuming the psalmist.

Everyone has moments of despair. During these times, it is easy to feel like God is not with you anymore. There are times God is silent, but that does not mean He does not hear you. Dark times may come to increase your faith that God is still there no matter what. It is difficult to see and remember the light of His presence and His promises during times of despair. However, this is the time to pray.

Praying is talking to God, but it takes on different forms. Notice how the psalmist cried day and night, and he told the Lord how he was feeling. This is a form of prayer. Through it all though, he remembered that God was the God of His salvation. Who else could he turn to?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
God has promised to always be with you even in the darkest times (Hebrews 13:5).

Karry Irizarry