CALLING TO GOD FROM THE DEPTHS

Passage: Psalms 88:1-18

Key verse: 13

NIV

Psalm 88[a]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[b] A maskil[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.

1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;(A)
    day and night I cry out(B) to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
    turn your ear to my cry.

3 I am overwhelmed with troubles(C)
    and my life draws near to death.(D)
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;(E)
    I am like one without strength.(F)
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(G) from your care.

6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
    in the darkest depths.(H)
7 Your wrath(I) lies heavily on me;
    you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.[d](J)
8 You have taken from me my closest friends(K)
    and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined(L) and cannot escape;(M)
9     my eyes(N) are dim with grief.

I call(O) to you, Lord, every day;
    I spread out my hands(P) to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
    Do their spirits rise up and praise you?(Q)
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
    your faithfulness(R) in Destruction[e]?
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,(S) Lord;
    in the morning(T) my prayer comes before you.(U)
14 Why, Lord, do you reject(V) me
    and hide your face(W) from me?

15 From my youth(X) I have suffered(Y) and been close to death;
    I have borne your terrors(Z) and am in despair.(AA)
16 Your wrath(AB) has swept over me;
    your terrors(AC) have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;(AD)
    they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend(AE) and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend.

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
  2. Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
  3. Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
  4. Psalm 88:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 10.
  5. Psalm 88:11 Hebrew Abaddon
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

I Cry Out Day and Night Before You

A Song. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to (B)Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil[a] of (C)Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, (D)God of my salvation,
    I (E)cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
    (F)incline your ear to my cry!

3 For my soul is full of troubles,
    and (G)my life draws near to (H)Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who (I)go down to the pit;
    I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom (J)you remember no more,
    for they are (K)cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in (L)the depths of the pit,
    in the (M)regions dark and (N)deep.
7 Your wrath (O)lies heavy upon me,
    and you overwhelm me with (P)all your waves. Selah

8 You have caused (Q)my companions to shun me;
    you have made me (R)a horror[b] to them.
I am (S)shut in so that I cannot escape;
9     (T)my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
    I (U)spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
    (V)Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
    or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your (W)wonders known in (X)the darkness,
    or your righteousness in the land of (Y)forgetfulness?

13 But I, O Lord, cry (Z)to you;
    (AA)in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why (AB)do you cast my soul away?
    Why (AC)do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.[c]
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your (AD)dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They (AE)surround me like a flood (AF)all day long;
    they (AG)close in on me together.
18 You have caused (AH)my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.[d]

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Footnotes
  1. Psalm 88:1 Probably musical or liturgical terms
  2. Psalm 88:8 Or an abomination
  3. Psalm 88:15 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
  4. Psalm 88:18 Or darkness has become my only companion
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The Psalms show us the full range of human emotion and experience, expressed to God in prayer. The writer of this psalm is at one of the lowest points of life, feeling near death and seeing nothing but darkness all around because of his troubles (3). These verses well describe what Jesus himself must have been going through on the cross.

The greatness of the psalmist is that he does not give in to despair but keeps crying out to God. He attributes his sufferings to God’s own wrath lying upon him (7). Nonetheless, his appeal is still to God, whom he will not let go of until the end. The writer seems not to know of hope in the resurrection. But we can know that in Jesus, even after death, our spirits will rise up and praise God (1

). So, if the psalmist who went through all these things did not give up crying out to God, day after day, how can we think of giving up? If things are so bad that all we can do is cling to God, then let us cling to God.

Prayer: Father, thank you that when I have nothing else and see only darkness all around, I can appeal to you in prayer. Thank you for your love in Christ that is more powerful than the grave.

One Word: I cry to God for help