Psalm 88:9-18

Psalm 88:9-18
The Message (MSG)

  Darkness.
  Often, it feels like it ends there.  I've been to funerals which don't resound in hope, in which we stare in disbelief into the seemingly bottomless abyss of death and find no solid ground, no footing on which to stand.  We speak of hope, but it rings empty in the face of our pain and it fades before our questions.  We profess what we hope to be true, but sometimes it is grasping at the mist, a vapor that disappears when we need it most.
  Blessed Assurance, the song sings, is ours because of one historical event.  When Jesus Christ was crucified, all seemed lost.  The stone sealed the tomb and the eternity of death marched on.  Except for Easter, we could have no hope.
  But Christ rose, and because he lives, we, too, may live.  Because of the truth that he has overcome death, and only because of this, we have proof that death is not the final answer, that there is a greater power than darkness, that hope truly can rise up the chasm of despair.
  So Love does make a difference in the graveyard.  Grace matters in the funeral.  Light shines in the pressing night.

  We will always weep on this side of heaven, because it seems like darkness and despair win out.  But hope comes in the morning, and the first rays of the dawn remind us of the Easter assurance of a final victory.