Next few postings will be thoughts and excerpt from the book: "Lost in the Middle" by Paul Tripp.
Psalm 88 –
Darkest Psalm yet somewhere in there….is HOPE!!!??

Think about it for a moment. Christians get old. (gulp) Christians face disloyalty, dishonor and rejection. Christians face physical disease. Christians face governmental corruption and injustice. Christians face moments of disappointment and sadness. Christians face mistreatment. Sometimes our families break up, our cars crash, and our houses burn down. This is important for us to understand. The heaven we long for is yet to come. We live in the uncomfortable moment between the glories of justification and the glory of our final union with Christ for eternity. And where do we live in between? We live in a world that has been, and continues to be devastated by sin. The signs are everywhere around us. The world groans waiting for redemption.

Is this some mistake? Wouldn’t it be better, easier and more efficient for us to be ushered into eternity the moment we believe? You could commit your life and just disappear. No more need to face the hassles of life in the fallen world. No more fear of what will happen. No more need of security devices and pain medication. But our continued presence in this groaning place is not a failed plan…IT IS THE PLAN. As difficult as it is to accept, you are here because this is where your all-wise and all-loving Heavenly Father wants you. These experiences do not get in the way of what he is doing in and through you but are the means by which it gets done.

I think this is great. A Christian life today is often shown as a colorful life devoid of any pain or suffering. Sometimes there is much guilt when one goes through affliction or troubles. Like Job's friends the sufferer is accused of sin or perhaps disbelief or lack of faith etc. Yet, the Bible are filled with heroes who go through so much pain and suffering as in Psalm 88.

"There is no thought so distorted, no emotion so powerful, no circumstance so horrible, no action so twisted, and no desire so desperate as to be outside of the reach of the Redeemer and His Grace."

Thank you Lord for your Grace!