Read Psalm 88:1-9. 1O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. 2Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! 3For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. 4I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, 5like 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. 6You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. 7Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. 8You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; 9my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you.
All hope appears to be lost for the psalmist, as is all help from God. Worse yet, it seems that God is the cause of many of his problems – You have put, you have caused. The only glimmer of light here is that Heman, the psalmist, continues to call upon the Lord every day.
In the garden Christ’s soul was full of troubles as he drew near to Sheol. Soon he would be remembered no more on the cross of God-forsakenness. Soon he would be shunned by his companions who would forsake and flee, a horror to all who would look at his inhuman form, and cut off from the hand of the Father, his nail pierced hands spread out to God as he faithfully called upon the Lord God seven times, until finally it was finished.
Why did Jesus go through such darkness willingly? Why live through this hell on Earth? So that we would never have to. So that we can know in our deepest darkness that we will never be alone. Never forgotten. Never forsaken. Never shut in. Never left in the grave. Never the wrath of God upon us.
To live is Christ is to cry out day and night to the God who sees and hears, even when the darkness inside of us tries to say that he doesn’t. It is to come honestly to God with all our pain and all our doubt trusting the one who walked through the darkest valley before us.
Prayer. Jesus, I cry out day and night. It feels like you don’t hear me, but I know that you do. Help me to know that you are still with me even in the darkest hours. Amen.
To Live is Christ 