Read Psalm 88
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
5 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.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, Lord, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help, Lord;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, Lord, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
darkness is my closest friend.
Go Deeper
God welcomes our grief. We can acknowledge His goodness while still mourning the broken world we live in and plead with the creator of this universe for mercy and clarity. In this psalm we see a raw cry of despair that lays out the author’s sorrow and sin in the form of a desperate prayer to a God that is bigger than our pain. Written by Heman the Ezrahite, who was known as a wise and talented man, this dark song is evidence that even the faithful experience doubt and angst.
In the midst of confusion, the writer acknowledges God’s power and goodness from the very first line. “Oh God of my salvation.” Before anything else, he recognizes God has already delivered him and then he can proceed to wrestle with his own agony. He attributes his troubles to the power and acts of God:
“You have put me in the lowest pit” (v. 6).
“Your wrath lies heavily on me” (v. 7).
“Your terrors have destroyed me” (v. 16).
By doing this, he acknowledges his own sin and wrestles with the righteous wrath and justice of God. He feels alone and weak, but his greatest despair is in verse 14 when he feels God has left him. “Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?” The greatest consequence of our own sin and sorrows is that God feels far from us in them. This psalm isn’t a plea to change his circumstance, but just to be near to the presence of God again.
Doubt doesn’t disqualify or distance us from God, but it’s an opportunity to lean in and seek His face above all else. Our prayer, along with the psalmist, is to be near to God and to know He is constant when our situation is not.
Questions
- What is your reaction when trials come? Is it anger, confusion, sorrow?
- Reflect on a time that God has felt far from you. What was happening? What was your response?
- What can you do to seek God in the midst of trials?
A Quote
“There is nothing that so quickly makes the bell ring in heaven as the touch of a troubled hand.”
– F.B. Meyer
2 responses to “Psalm 88”
Dark, desolate, overwhelming, not understanding. This psalmist is in a hard place. One I would say most of us have been. Why, God why? He is or wasnt there when you thought He should be so you are crying out in angst. BUT GOD is there, even in the middle of all the darkness. If you believe in Him and trust in the salvation through Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, then He never leaves nor forsakes You. If you have not yet accepted Christ then you will be pursued because He LOVES you with a Hesed love beyond our comprehension. When you get into a place that is dark or without what you understand why just look to God’s word and read about how much His love will follow you, guide you and chase you down.
God, I don’t need to understand, I just need your love. God I serve You even when and even if my days are hard and my emotions are high. God thank You for pulling me back. Thank You for chasing me down and showing me through Your word how much Your love cost and that You were willing to sacrifice Your only begotten son for me. I desire and will not walk away from this Hesed love. Thank You for being relentless, crazy and irresistible. God I am so thankful that I know that I know that You are the ONLY way for my heart to turn. God right now I lift up those around me and that I may encounter that do not know and that live with brokenness and pain daily. God help me or others that know and love You, be a light in their darkness so we can give them the greatest hope of all, the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. God thank You for the minutes of this day that You are glorified in all I say and do. Thank You for Your light so shining that others may know that You are whom I serve in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“But I cry to you for help, Lord;
in the morning my prayer comes before you” (v13).
A habit I’ve chosen when first awaking before my feet hit the floor from my bed is to pray to the Father. These first moments of connecting with him are sacred, setting the tone for the rest of the day. Acknowledging him at the beginning keeps me more grounded and focused, aligning my will with his.