Monday, September 8, 2014

Psalm 88

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.
¹⁰Do you show your wonders to the dead?
   Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
¹¹Is 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.

Reflection

Psalm 88 is  a lament Psalm. These Psalms are  addressed to God with a complaint, request, and sometimes a statement of trust. These particular Psalms cry out to God  in the midst of our human struggles. In this lament the author is distraught that the Lord has not heard the

author’s prayers. Have you ever felt like God was not listening to you? How did this feel? Be honest and tell God.