Many of the lament psalms contain wonderful declarations of confidence in God. In these cases, the declarations are a gesture of faith reaching out of a dire situation and taking hold of God’s self-revelation. But not all the psalms contain these confident declarations. There is not much of this sort of thing, for example, in Psalm 38. This psalm seems less hopeful because it is dominated by complaint and supplication with little in the way of declaration and praise. But there is certainly still faith and hope here. The cry for help itself and the assurance that God will listen and answer, is expression enough of faith. I am grateful for the diversity of the psalms. I am grateful that they aren’t all the same and that some are more desperate and even darker than others. There are times when prayer flows up and out of me like the sprouting of a flower. But there are other times when I can barely raise a whimper; when my faith is a feeble sapling struggling to push through dry ground. God will respond whether faith is a feeble sapling or a full flowering plant. If the only prayer you can pray is, “Help me Lord,” then pray that prayer and keep praying it. A blazing faith begins with a small spark. You don’t need the strength of faith to leap into the arms of God. Just enough to lift a small finger will do.
Pray for God’s help where you need it most.
Read Psalm 38
