Psalm 88 Part 4

Do you love God because of who He is or because of what you expect to get? Do you come to God with a problem, need, or emptiness? Do you come because you want something? If you stay in that state your emotions will go up and down based on what is going on. This is self-centred Christianity.

Heman was complaining towards God, but never walked away from God. In Ps 88 he was not praying the way he ought to pray, but he was still praying. When you hold on through the darkness with prayer, church attendance, etc you create endurance, stability, and strength. You also reveal that you are serving God and not yourself.

Heman believed the darkness was objective, permanent. He didn’t see it as temporary. We know he was wrong. How do we know that? Heman we know, from 1Chron 6:33, was a leader of the guild of Kohathites who wrote many of the psalms. Psalms are one of the greatest works of literary history in the world! Even non-Christians understand that. This man helped write some of the greatest literary art in the world. That means untold millions of people have been helped by him.

Pressure turns coal into diamonds. Heman’s suffering was not absolute it was relative; he had the hope of eternity. God was there because through his suffering this man was turned into a great artist. God was there, God was working – God was turning him into something wonderful & great, that would be used for centuries.

There were 7 sayings from the cross, but there were also 7 sayings ‘to’ the cross. These came from the passers-by, the thief on the right, the thief on the left, the chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees; some standing by the Cross, the soldiers, and the centurion. Examining these, we find from two of the sayings that the new Tree of Life was already bearing fruit—the penitent thief and the centurion. But for most of the beholders, the Cross was a waste. It remains even so to this day. But for us, from the darkness of Golgotha comes a wonderful hope. TBC