Welcome to the Blue Ocean Advent devotional podcast. This is day eight. I’m Emily, and I’ll be your guide.
Let’s start with a moment of gratitude. I’ll give you 15 seconds of silence to think about something you’re thankful for, and to thank God for it. Let’s begin now.
[15 seconds of silence]
Now we’ll move on to our petitionary prayer. Today we’ll pray that God’s peace will rest on our loved ones. You can start by praying something like, “May the peace of God rest on _________ [insert names of your loved ones as they come to mind].” Let’s take 30 seconds of silence to pray.
[25 seconds of silence]
Our Scripture reading today comes from Psalm 88:1–18. Before I read it, this is a prayer coming from a place where the writer feels utter despair. The psalmist describes being put in that place of desolation by God. That may or may not be true—I tend to think not. But we can all relate to being in a bad place and feeling like God has abandoned us. What I notice is the psalmist continuing to look for God and for hope, even in despair. Let’s listen to it now. The Psalm says:
Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape; my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you. Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? But I cry to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have suffered and been close to death; I have borne your terrors and am in despair. Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend.
We’ll close today by meditating on the phrase:
You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
Take a few moments now to meditate on how it sometimes feels like God has abandoned you in your distress, and what it means to continue to cry out to God from that place. I cry out to you … You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
Our Concluding Prayer:
Creator, almighty and everlasting, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus my Lord. Amen