Chapter 45: On Believers' Inward Afflictions and Spiritual Desertions
Chapter 45 On Believers' Inward Afflictions and Spiritual Desertions I shall now speak of the rest that Christ provides to the soul in regard to inward afflictions, particularly spiritual desertions. These desertions occur when the Lord chooses to withdraw Himself from the souls of His people, leaving them in a state of spiritual darkness.
Although they are believers and have a rightful interest in Christ, they may be left for a time by God, resulting in extreme sorrow, fear, and trouble in their spirits because of His absence. Indeed, no affliction compares to this; no condition is as restless as being deserted by God.
This type of affliction is something that not everyone understands.
Carnal people may dismiss these spiritual desertions as mere imaginations, conceits, or melancholy, but the saints know that they are among the most real and grievous afflictions. For God to withdraw His presence from His people is a profound trial.
We read of such an affliction in the life of a godly man, Heman, who penned the 88th Psalm. As you can see from the title, it was a song or psalm for the sons of Korah, addressed to the chief musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, a maschil of Heman the Ezrahite. Heman was one of the greatest men who experienced these spiritual desertions.
If you read through this psalm, you will find that although he was a deeply godly man, he was severely afflicted with spiritual desertions and afflictions. The Lord withdrew the comforts of His Spirit from him.
In verse 1, he cries, "O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee." In verse 3, he says, "My soul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh unto the grave." Verse 4 continues, "I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength." And in verse 7, "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves."
What a strange expression this is for a godly man! Moreover, outward afflictions were mingled with his spiritual troubles. Verse 8 says, "Thou hast put mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth." His afflictions were so deep that he felt abandoned by his friends and trapped in his sorrow. Verse 13 shows his continued crying to God: "But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee." Yet, he still feels deserted, asking in verse 14, "Lord, why castest thou off my soul? Why hidest thou thy face from me?"
God had indeed hidden His face from Heman, and in verse 15, he describes his lifelong experience with affliction: "I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted." In verse 16, he continues, "Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off." These are intense expressions of suffering from a man of God.
When we read this psalm and understand that it is written by a godly man, we are reminded of the scripture that says, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"
(1 Peter 4:18). If a wise and godly man like Heman, one of the wisest men on earth as mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31, could experience such deep spiritual affliction and the hiding of God's face, how can we claim that our condition is worse than anyone else's?