Psalms 88 -- Old Testament -- Gospel Daily

Psalms

Chapter 88

Deep Despair and Separation from God

The psalmist cries day and night to God, his soul full of troubles, his life drawing near the grave. He counts himself among the dead and slain whom God no longer remembers, laid in the lowest pit in darkness with God's wrath bearing hard upon him. He is cut off from acquaintance and made an abomination to others, shut up and unable to come forth. His eye mourns from affliction as he stretches out his hands daily to God, questioning whether God shows wonders to the dead or if His lovingkindness is declared in the grave. The psalmist suffers God's fierce wrath and terrors, with lover and friend put far from him into darkness.

Despair and afflictionGod's apparent absenceDeath and the graveIsolation and suffering

¹O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

²Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

³For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

⁴I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

⁵Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

⁶Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

⁷Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

⁸Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

⁹Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

¹⁰Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

¹¹Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

¹²Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

¹⁴LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?

¹⁵I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

¹⁶Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

¹⁸Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.