Wednesday, March 28, 2012

150 Days of Psalms - Psalm 88

My first thought was "this guy needs some sort of anti-depressant." In seems like in most of the psalms that are crying out for help from God that at least somewhere in the psalm the writer mentions God's faithful love or His mercy or something. This one doesn't do that.

Maybe this psalm is here to let us know that it's OK to let God know that you have no hope - that you feel like a man in the grave, overwhelmed, without strength, with your eyes worn out from crying.

It seems like I should have more to say here... My suggestion to the psalmist and to you if you are in a place like this is to first, know that it's OK to pour out your heart to God like this and second, read more of the psalms and find the hope that is written in them. God does care, even when you don't think He does.

2 comments:

Phyllis Hobson said...

One of the versions that I looked at this Psalm in had a notation by the beginning of one of the words possibly being translated "dancing with glad noises" and I thought "Great, this will be something uplifting and praise-worthy!" I get through the Psalm and went "huh? What did I miss?"

Yes, I agree with your comments, Lyndel, that maybe this is just to know that it's okay to really just lay it all out, to have a really bad day. I've had a couple friends/acquaintances who have had a rough patch, and it's great to have something to point them to like this. Not alone.

Anonymous said...

Your suggestion to the psalmist is in vain for he is dead. And this Psalm DOES mention hope.

"Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you." NIV v1

"LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You." NASB v1

Two ways of saying it but please don't miss his hope on the first sentence. "You are the God who saves me" or "the God of my salvation".

Sir, if you have never prayed like this or felt this way you are luckier than most. He, the poet, in his despair has no pretty words or encouragement but still his way of addressing The LORD tells me of his hope.