“I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. When my spirit was overwhelmed and weak within me [wrapped in darkness], You knew my path. In the way where I walk. They have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right [the point of attack] and see; for there is no one who has regard for me [to act in my favor]. Escape has failed me, and I have nowhere to run; no one cares about my life. I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living. Give attention to my cry, for I am brought very low; rescue me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison (adversity), so that I may give thanks and praise Your name; the righteous will surround me [in triumph], for You will look after me.” (Psalm 142 The Amplified Bible)
Like David, while we are in the land of the living, we will find ourselves in dark places every now and then. Oh we will not be in a literal cave where darkness is a physical reality, but we will find ourselves in lots of other dark places. When the grief we thought was gone for good, shows up and grips hold of our spirit again, we find ourselves in a dark place. When ailments attack us physically, psychologically, or spiritually, we find ourselves in dark places. The times where we are down in the dumps and we cannot really pinpoint why, we find ourselves in dark places. When our fellowship with others decreases, when our interaction with the world is minimized or mostly limited to social media, we find ourselves most likely in dark places. Even through the night, when sleep disorders keep us wide awake, we find ourselves in dark places. When our mental health is the main culprit, largely because of our spiritual condition, and the fact that we have not heard or heeded to w word from the pulpit, and out unstable mind tries to pull us down and keep us in a state of depression, we find ourselves in dark places. Focusing on our age as a senior, and we find ourselves looking at the natural limitations that come with aging, as opposed to the unlimited blessings and raindrops of mercy that the Lord continues to pour out on us with every new day, we find ourselves in dark places. When we are in what we call “a funk” and we don’t know exactly why, we are in dark places. Well, what can we do? Learn from the Psalm of David above.
Yes! We can cry our loudly to the Lord in prayer! We can tell Him all about our circumstances, about how we are trapped in a dark place. We can look to the Lord, of who we say, “There is no failure,” and pray that He acts in our favor. We must rely on Him as our very present help in our time of trouble, regardless of what type of darkness we experience. Keep pleading with the Lord, our Strong God, to come to our rescue. Be specific and transparent about how you feel. Yes, take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Seek a release from the darkness that has imprisoned you so you can return to the light and walk in the beautiful light, so you can come where the dewdrops of mercy shine bright. Look ahead with confidence, think positive, trust in the Lord to give you triumph, and when He does give Him thanks and praise His name and know that your triumph over darkness will be seen by others. That will help them in their time of darkness.
You may not be in a dark place today, but in the land of the living, times in dark places will come. When they do, remember the inspiration we find in the words of David above. Have a bright or brighter Thursday. Be blessed!
“But you, Lord, are my shield! You are my glory!You are the one who restores me.” (Psalm 3:3 Common English Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King