Psalm 88, Crying out in the darkness

Beware! there is no joy in this psalm of contemplation on the depths of despair. This is the darkest song to be found in all the Psalms and I can only describe it as looking into the blackest pit of despair!

Verse 1-2:

"O Lord, God of my salvation,

I cry out day and night before you."

"Let my prayer come before you;

incline your ear to my cry!"

The psalmist begins by extolling God as the God of his salvation, and we almost naturally expect uplifting words of rescue to follow. Sadly not, this opening line is the only chink of light to be found in this oppressively dark psalm. The psalmist cries out to God day and night revealing the constant and persistent intensity of his plea.  Spurgeon writes “The only ray of comfortable light which shines throughout the Psalm. The writer has salvation, he is sure of that, and God is the sole author of it. While a man can see God as his Saviour, it is not altogether midnight with him.”

The psalmist begs for God's mercy, and to intervene in his desperate situation as he pleads for God to hear his prayer. “incline your ear to my cry”.

Verse 3-5

For my soul is full of troubles,

and my life draws near to Sheol.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit;

I am a man who has no strength,

adrift among the dead,

like the slain that lie in the grave,

whom you remember no more,

and who are cut off from Your hand.

In these verses, the psalmist describes his distress both inwardly and outwardly. He states that his inner being “his soul” is filled with troubles, while outwardly he feels physically close to death. He feels so weak saying that he is practically dead already and adrift among the dead and among the slain. Feelings of despair increase as he protests that he is cut off and forgotten by God as he describes his sense of abandonment.

*“Sheol” is a Hebrew term used to describe the grave or the afterlife.

Verse 6-7:

You have put me in the lowest pit,
   in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me;
   you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.

Here again, the psalmist protests that God has allowed this darkness and despair to happen to him. He chooses to believe that his suffering is a punishment from God and that he is being overwhelmed by the righteousness of God's wrath.

Verse 8-9:

You have taken from me my closest friends
   and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;

my eyes are dim with grief.

I call to you, Lord, every day;
   I spread out my hands to you.

Here in these verses, the psalmist laments for his friends who no longer want anything to do with him, which he blames on God. Suffering has taken a huge physical and emotional toll on him, yet even in his despair, he still calls out to God and expresses his dependence on Him.

Verse 10-12:

Do you show your wonders to the dead?
   Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
Is your love declared in the grave,
   your faithfulness in Destruction?
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
   or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

In fear of death and his uncertainty about Sheol, the psalmist asks whether God works miracles for the dead, and if the prayers of the dead are able to rise to Him. Here the psalmist questions whether God's love and faithfulness extend even to the place of the dead. The psalmist is questioning whether God's wonders and righteousness can still be known in the deepest darkest places where hope fades to nothing.

Verse 13-15:

But I cry to you for help, Lord;
   in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Why, Lord, do you reject me
   and hide your face from me?

From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
   I have borne your terrors and am in despair.

Despite his questions and doubts, the only thing the psalmist, just as any of us can do in times of despair, is to cry out to God and place our dependence on Him. As the psalmist struggles to understand the reasons why God seems to have abandoned him, he does the only thing that he can which is to sets his focus on Him. “Why have you turned your face from me” he again questions in protest. Then in self-pity and in despair, he recalls his lifelong afflictions and suffering, which he attributes to God's judgment.

Verse 16-18:

Your wrath has swept over me;
   your terrors have destroyed me.
All day long they surround me like a flood;
   they have completely engulfed me.
You have taken from me friend and neighbour
   darkness is my closest friend.

The psalmist believes that God has unleashed his wrath against him, causing these personal terrors of destruction and devastation. He feels overwhelmed by the troubles that engulf him like a tsunami that is about to drown him.

He laments the loss of his beloved and friends, who have now turned from him leaving him feeling completely cut off from life and relationship, totally alone, and surrounded by absolute darkness.

In helpless resignation, the psalmist ends the psalm as he accepts his suffering and sense of abandonment by God. He acknowledges that he is close to death and that he is powerless to save himself. Yet even here, he clings to his only hope, which is the hope that God will remember him and that his suffering will not be forgotten.

Psalm 88 is a powerful expression of the depth of human suffering and the sense of abandonment that often accompanies it. The psalmist's cries to God are brutally raw and honest as he articulates his pain and despair.

The psalm doesn’t provide any easy answers or platitudes, but simply it acknowledges the reality of suffering and the difficulty that all of us have in finding hope in the midst of its depths.

Despite its bleakness, in Psalm 88, we see a man in deep distress, who feels abandoned by God, and his loved ones. He questions God's love and faithfulness, yet even here in the depths of despair, he clings to God as he cries out for help. Ultimately, the psalmist's faith remains steadfast throughout his suffering, even though he struggles to understand why God has allowed him to endure so much pain.

The psalm serves as a reminder to us all that even in our darkest moments, we can turn to God in prayer and trust in His unfailing mercy and grace.

May your day be bright, and God bless,

Trev.