Psalm Meditation 755
Second Sunday of Advent
December 7, 2014

Psalm 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
2 let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help,
5 like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me.
18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.
(NRSV)

This may be the single most depressing psalm of the entire book. While most of the psalms of lament end with a word of hope, this one does not. In some translations, the last phrase of the psalm is, ‘and darkness is my only friend.’ If you are in the mood to be depressed this is the psalm to read to make sure you make it as deep into depression as possible. However, if you are already depressed this psalm may serve to give you hope. It serves as a reminder that you are not the only one who has ever felt abandoned by your friends as well as by God. Realizing that you are not alone is a great step in dealing with depression.

In the midst of this feeling of abandonment by one and all the psalmist still addresses the psalm to God. When no one else is listening, God is still there, still loving us and caring for us, even when we have no awareness or experience of God’s presence. The feeling that someone is listening to us in our darkest moments, that there is some reason to lift our voices into the seeming void of existence may be our assurance that God is there and that we are not as alone as it seems.

Laying claim to this psalm as a personal statement of a sense of feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless has the potential to lead us forward to a renewed faith. At some point the last phrase of the last verse will bring a curl of a smile to our lips as we realize that we are addressing the psalm to one who is our friend and is not darkness. That may give us the strength to find someone else who is not in darkness until we find a source of light for ourselves. This psalm will not treat or cure depression or even loss of faith, however it may give us the wherewithal to seek the resources we need to move forward.

December 2, 2014
LCM