Pure Faith!

Psalm 88

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 6.

Have you ever felt completely cut off from God without any sense of His presence? Psalm 88 is one of the saddest songs in the Psalter. Praying through this psalm when you are depressed will help you focus your despair on God instead of on yourself, just as the psalmist did in verse 1, “O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before you.” His faith was intact, even as the rest of the psalm captured his experience of the dark night of the soul, which is when a despairing believer feels that God has abandoned him, taking away from Him the consolations of His presence.

Have you ever experienced the dark night of the soul? It is when you can’t feel God’s presence and are suffering in your soul, seemingly walking through tribulations alone, crying out to God to give you His peace and joy. It is more than mental or physical suffering; it is soul suffering – the deep longing for an encounter with God. It is a necessary pathway to developing a mature faith, one that is not dependent on the feedback loops of your feelings and senses. The dark night of the soul is God’s refiner’s fire to build within you a pure faith – a belief in God that transcends the limitations of the temporary body and its sensual feedback. Such faith must be forged into our lives, as Paul testified in Romans 5:3-5:

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (cf. James 1:2-4; Hebrews 5:8).

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.