Psalm Meditation 942
Proper 9
July 8, 2018

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)

There is something comforting about knowing that I am not alone, I am not the only one to have ever experienced something as dark as this psalm. At my lowest point I can look at this psalm and realize that I am not the only one who has felt abandoned by God and the people around me. With this psalm I realize that my worst has not been as bad as it could be. I have always had someone who loves me, even if I felt cut off from them at the moment.

The psalmist feels totally abandoned, by companions as well as by God. Yet, the psalm is addressed to God. In the midst of feeling completely and utterly alone, the psalmist continues to be aware that God is close enough to hear this cry for help and comfort. The psalmist continues to believe that in the bleakest darkness God can hear the cry of one who feels lost and separated from God.

Each of us has had a worst day of our lives, a day in which we both question the existence of God and feel ourselves asking God why we have been abandoned. My worst day may be more or less intense than yours, however we have each been aware of what a terrible day each of us has had. We may have more to come, the worst may be behind us, or we may be living in the worst days right now. This psalm is the only one that ends without a word of hope. May we feel the comforting presence of God even in this dark psalm.

July 2, 2018
LCM