The Darkness Is My Closest Friend
“You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.” (Psalm 88:18)
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Note: None of the Gospels provide a description of what the disciples feel on the day after Jesus’ crucifixion. This meditation is an attempt to capture the sense of despair that they must have felt.
A Song of Lament.
It is Sabbath, O Lord my God,
but I do not feel like resting;
indeed, I do not feel like living.
For you, the Giver of Life, have taken from me
the One in whom I found life,
true life,
eternal life.
Jesus was everything to me.
And now he is gone;
he is dead,
his body is lying in the tomb.
It’s Sabbath, O Lord my God,
but I do not feel like resting;
indeed, I do not feel like living.
My soul is downcast within me;
my spirit is filled with darkness.
I can no longer walk with Jesus,
because he is dead.
My hope is dead.
I have no song in my heart
except the song from ancient days:
“My soul is full of trouble
and my life draws near the grave…
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 taken my companions
and loved ones from me;
the darkness is my closest friend.”*
This is the only refrain I can sing
in my heart, O God:
“It is Sabbath, O Lord my God,
but I do not feel like resting;
indeed, I do not feel like living.
For you, the Giver of Life, have taken from me
the One in whom I found life,
true life,
eternal life.
Jesus was everything to me.
And now he is gone;
he is dead,
his body is lying in the tomb.”
O Lord, in your mercy,
hear my prayer.
*These verses are quoted from Psalm 88
Amen
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