Joyful Sound

  1. We have two very different expressions of experiences with God in Psalms 88 and 89. Psalm 88 is full of woe. Psalm 89 is full of exuberance.
  2. In Psalm 88:7, the psalmist says, “Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves.” The word waves reminds me of anxiety or grief, things where a rush of chemicals can wash through you. You just need to endure it for about a minute or two and it will go away. Sing to the Lord, do a dance, turn your thoughts to your good and gracious Father. Work on your thoughts and eventually the feelings will come into alignment with your thoughts. Our job is to deal with the thoughts, not the feelings.
  3. The psalmist in Psalm 88 squarely blames all his troubles on the Lord troubling him. He says he is calling out and trying to get help, but God is doing nothing.
  4. One thing that stands out is that he says his eyes waste away because of all his troubles. I thought that a contrast to David who says his life is spent with sorrow and his body wasted away because of his sin (Ps. 31:10).
  5. Psalm 88 never has a turn like the other psalms. It never stops its complaining and says, but God I know you are good and I trust you. He stays miserable.
  6. Don’t stay miserable!
  7. How do you get out of misery? Turn to the Lord. Confess. Ask for help knowing what needs confessing or removing. Give thanks. Praise. Maybe it’s a sacrifice to thank and praise. He is worth the sacrifice. Thank and praise! Make choices with your thoughts to turn them to your good God who is always worthy of thanksgiving and praise.
  8. The psalmist in Psalm 89 has found the joyful sound by walking in the Light. When we walk in the Light, we are cleansed from all sin (1 John 1:7).
  9. Who is the one walking with Jesus in the light?
  10. The saint that fears the Lord and holds Him in reverence.
  11. Don’t accuse God of not caring like in Psalm 88. He is love. He is good. He hasn’t stopped being Himself or we’d no longer have a God in heaven! You can always know He is being loving and good. Run into the light. Let His light expose any harmful ways. Confess. Repent. Get His help to walk in the light and let those things be removed from your life.
  12. Then what will come out is the joyful sound!