“All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you.”
- Psalm 38:9
I don’t know about y’all, but when my heart feels overwhelmed with worry or stress, I am quicker to sigh than I am to pray. I love this Psalm, because it reminds me that it is normal for us to feel overwhelmed and overcome by our circumstances. In the beginning of this Psalm, David is in a desperate state. He is begging God for mercy, for relief from the pain he’s in. Verse 9 is in the middle, David reminding himself that God knows his heart and all of his sighs. God hears even when we are desperate. God is near even when He feels far away.
This Psalm ends like this, “Oh Lord, do not forsake me; be not far from me, O my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my Savior.” This Psalm is a cry for help, and it’s not wrapped up neatly at the end with a simple resolution at the end. I’m so grateful for the prayer book of Psalms that is smack dab in the middle of the Bible. It makes being human feel so much less alone. Our mess is no surprise to God. He can handle our doubts, our fears, our messes and mistakes, and our questions. He knows our longings and hears our sighs. His love is faithful, even when it feels far away. If you are in a place of crying out to God and feeling like He may not be hearing you, I’m sorry. Know that you are not alone. Keep crying out to Him. He can handle anything you need to say, and He’s listening and He loves you, and suffering will not have the final word in your story. SO grateful for a Love that overcomes death, for a light that overcomes dark.
