Psalm Meditation 1354 ¶Trinity Sunday ¶June 2, 2026 ¶Psalm 88 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2088&version=NRSVUE ¶Recently, I was introduced to a concept called Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. It happens when someone takes any comment or action as a sign of rejection from the person who made the remark. The rejection may or may not be real, however that does not alter the reaction of the person with RSD. Since the person feels rejected, they are not likely to ask if they really have been rejected by the person, and if there is a reason. They simply walk away knowing that this particular relationship has ended. ¶The psalmist feels as if God has been the one doing the rejection, since things are not going as the psalmist had expected. In a display of courage, the psalmist goes to God for clarification on the relationship. ‘Are you out to get me, God, or have I misread your unwillingness to get me out of this set of circumstances that has me beaten down?’ The psalmist feels rejected and abandoned by God and by all the people one can usually depend on for help and support. In desperation, the psalmist turns to the one whose promised include never abandoning us. ¶Though the psalm ends on the same note of rejection and abandonment with which it began, it also begins and ends addressed to God. ‘Even if you have rejected me, I have no one to turn to and I depend on your promise not to leave us or forsake us.’ The psalm does seem to be one of the most depressing psalms in the whole book, however, it is addressed to God. The relationship the psalmist has with God is strong enough to turn to God in a time of deep need. ¶May 25, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1234 ¶Transfiguration Sunday ¶February 11, 2024 ¶Psalm 88 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+88&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶This is one of my favorite psalms because it serves as a reminder that life in God is not all sweetness and light. This is not a ‘praise the Lord, anyway’ kind of psalm, this is a ‘damn it God, why are you being so mean to me?’ psalm. All the things that are going poorly for the psalmist are being laid at the feet of God, who must be at fault for all these things. Granted it is in a time in which all things, good and bad are attributed to the activity of God in our lives as rewards and punishments for our action and inaction in the world. ¶That is not the world in which I want to live. I am of the mind that God loves us, and abides with us in every time and place. As things go well, God is right there cheering on our success. As things go wonky, God is there to offer us a supportive presence in the midst of whatever wonkiness we might find ourselves. The question isn’t, ‘What did I do to deserve this from God?’ the question is, ‘Where is God in the midst of this and what comfort is God already offering to help me cope?’ ¶I like the psalm because it reminds us that when bad things happen, we can still turn to God for comfort, assurance, and maybe even deliverance. The advice I heard for how to use this psalm when things are too dark to navigate alone, it so go somewhere safe and read this with as much passion and energy as you can muster. Yes, it will be yelling at God, who is secure enough to handle the anger involved in offering this psalm to God. To know that God loves us, even when we are angry, is a great gift indeed. ¶February 5, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1054 Proper 17 August 30, 2020 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 is one of my favorite psalms. It is dark to the point of hopelessness. In one translation, the last phrase of the psalm reads, “and darkness is my only friend.” If you have ever been to that place in life you know that it can be comforting to find that someone has been there ahead of you and has put your sense of abandonment into words. As one of the few psalms to end without a word of hope, there is something memorable about it. Even as the psalmist speaks from a feeling of abandonment, the psalm is addressed to God. It is a complaint and lament aimed directly at God. The psalmist puts words to the anger, fear, isolation, and sadness that holds us hostage when we feel as if we are the only ones who have ever felt this badly. At the very least we are the only ones feeling this swirl of emotion in this time and place. The psalmist has given us this psalm as a gift. When we have no words to express ourselves, here is a psalm to put something into words as we stand up to God. While some are quick to say that we are not to get angry with God, I am of the mind that if God didn’t want me to feel anger, why do I have it? And, if God can’t handle my anger when it is aimed at God, why would I ever need an emotion this intense? God gives us a safe place to express all the emotions that threaten our mental, spiritual, and physical well-being. Feel free to be angry with God and in the presence of God. If you don’t have words of your own, the psalmist offers the words of this psalm. August 24, 2020 LCM

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

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

Psalm Meditation 669
Third Sunday of Easter
April 14, 2013

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)

To my knowledge, this is the only psalm that ends without any sense of hope and in at least one translation the last phrase is, “and darkness is my only companion.” Not only is the psalmist surrounded by darkness, there are no friends or companions with whom to share the sense of gloom, despair and abandonment. The only note of hope in the psalm is that it is addressed to God, and perhaps that it has been written down at all. To address the psalm to God acknowledges that God is present in the times in which it feels as if no one is available to the psalmist, to us. To write the psalm down is an acknowledgement that this companionless darkness will not last forever and that at some point the psalmist will have someone with whom to share this gloomy sense of emptiness.

One of my professors recommended this as a psalm for those who are grieving. Find a private place and read this out loud with as much energy as one can muster, at least once a day. For a time it will be hard to get through, the pain will be intense and folks will be drained by the experience of reading or reciting this aloud. At some point it will grow easier and yet later the psalm will have lost the stinging pain that goes with grieving. At that point one is encouraged to pick another psalm of lament that ends on a word of hope.

The hope contained in the psalm is not in the words themselves, the hope is in God to whom the psalm is directed. Even though the psalmist feels abandoned there is still a sense that God is close enough to hear and perhaps to respond to the feeling of being helpless, hopeless and worthless. While I would hope and pray that you never feel this deeply abandoned I know that most of us have or will go through a time like this in our lives. I am instead grateful that a psalmist had the faith and courage to put this sense of loss in a form that can be passed down to us.

April 8, 2013