The Dark Psalm
Hot under the collar. Ever get that way? Has something ever rubbed you so wrong that you find yourself slowly and progressively shaking your head, gritting your teeth and making fists? If so, you’re not alone. I’m a card-carrying member of that club.
What got my fragile feathers so ruffled? You guessed it. Something I saw on social mania - I mean - social media. Someone in our industry - posing and flexing after a workout - claimed that a rigorous training session is the equivalent of “suffering.” That our roughest, puke-filled battle to improve our health can be likened to that most tender of words. Then proceeded to somehow correlate the submission to suffering in the gym to that of Jesus submitting to the suffering on the Cross. Yuck. Might as well boil my blood.
Not sure what it was. Could have been the tone. Could have been the smile. Could have been the bathroom selfie. All I know is that all I wanted was this person to turn off the light, because they weren’t describing suffering as I know it. I’ve learned that suffering is something we pray to be spared from, not something we pet.
LIGHTS OUT
In a recent podcast, Ajay Thomas discussed the darkest Psalm ever written, Psalm 88. Described as the Psalm that has no hope, experts have described Psalm 88 as, “A cellar with no stairs. A prison with no key. Absolute hell on earth. Total loneliness. Utter torment. Complete darkness.”
Suffering.
Most Psalms of lament eventually turn. They eventually pivot. Change directions. Although they begin in descent and despair, they eventually ascend. At some point God shows up. But not this Psalm. It begins in darkness and gets even darker.
In verse 11, the Psalmist begins asking questions, “Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?” (Verse 12), “Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?” In other words says Thomas, “Do you have a choir in the grave that I don’t know about? Are your wonders known in the darkness? What do you gain from letting me die?”
Pretty grim, right? But what a comfort to you and to me that one of the authors in the Bible held on to God so tightly that in the worst of circumstances - the kind of rock bottom event that would eventually make its way into Holy scripture - could cry out to God, complain to God, question God and eventually collapse on Him.
THE PIERCING
We’re just a few weeks away from Christmas. It’s Advent. But despite the Christmas carols on the radio and red ribbons in shop windows on Main Street, these weeks can remind us of the darkness that only Jesus could pierce. In fact, while the Psalmist began and ended in darkness, he wasn’t actually alone. Only Jesus Himself experienced the kind of loneliness the Psalmist described when God turned His back on Him at Calvary. Only Jesus could call the darkness His only friend. He did that so that our sins could be forgiven and that we would never be forsaken.
I’ve spent the last few years focused on helping people with special needs and that focus is only becoming more intense. I’ve begun to travel the globe - from Israel to Bucharest to Brazil - and I’ve seen some hurting people. Blind, deaf, lame. No arms. No legs. No family. No water. Real hurts. Real need. Read bad. But the truth is, I’ve never felt closer to God than when I’m with those who are truly in need of the Gospel and in complete despair and desperate for physical healing.
You’ll forgive my sentimental mood, but suffering is sacred. It’s holy ground. It’s in the grip of His robe. It’s in the hole in the roof. It’s in the muddy water. It’s in the baggy clothes of a former leper, in the corners of Peter’s regret, David’s shame and Paul’s remorse. And you can be sure of one thing. It’s in yours too. And in mine.
QUESTIONS IN THE DARK
Jesus ended the Advent season by becoming the light of the world and would eventually hang on the Cross in complete darkness and completely alone. Jesus suffered. And in doing so, He answered the questions in verses 11 and 12 of Psalm 88:
"Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?” (Yes.)
”Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?” (Yes.)
”Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?” (Yes.)
”Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?” (Yes.)
Tim Keller says of the darkness in Psalm 88 that it “exposes whether we’re in this to serve God or to be served,” which brings me back to what got me so hot under the collar in the first place; my self-righteousness. What I ponder when I look at what people post on social media is part of my dark side; a side of me only my family and friends get to see, but thankfully a side of me that I can fully confess. Who knows what that person battles or is battling to compel them to post things. My job isn’t to look or to judge. My job is to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. My job is to reflect the light. Because for many people, it’s really dark.
- Jimmy Peña
JOIN ME
If you would like come alongside us on our quest to help those impacted by disability, please consider giving to The Body. A wonderful way to end the year, you can join a group of committed people who are Heaven-bent on bringing the fitness industry to the doorstep of disability. We’ll be purchasing wheelchairs and helping transform a special needs room in the near future, and your monthly gift will help us do that.
