Read
(A song and a psalm by the clan of Korah for the music leader. To the tune “Mahalath Leannoth.” A special psalm by Heman the Ezrahite.)
A Prayer When You
1You keep me safe, Lord God.
So when I pray at night,
2please listen carefully
to each of my concerns.
3I am deeply troubled
and close to death;
4I am as good as dead
and completely helpless.
5I am no better off
than those in the grave,
those you have forgotten
and no longer help.
6You have put me in the deepest
and darkest grave;
7your anger rolls over me
like ocean waves.
8You have made my friends turn
in horror from me.
I am a prisoner
who cannot escape,
9and I am almost blind
because of my sorrow.
Each day I lift my hands
in prayer to you, Lord.
10Do you work miracles
for the dead?
Do they stand up
and praise you?
11Are your love and loyalty
announced in the world
of the dead?
12Do they know of your miracles
or your saving power
in the dark world below
where all is forgotten?
13Each morning I pray
to you, Lord.
14Why do you reject me?
Why do you turn from me?
15Ever since I was a child,
I have been sick
and close to death.
You have terrified me
and made me helpless.
16Your anger is like a flood!
And I am shattered
by your furious attacks
17that strike each day
and from every side.
18My friends and neighbors
have turned against me
because of you,
and now darkness
is my only companion.
Reflect
Unlike other psalms of lament, Psalm 88 does not end in worship. It ends where it began—in a darkness punctuated only by anguished prayer. Or does it?
The text reminds us that our Lord keeps us safe, works miracles, is full of love, loyalty and saving power. Yet its author has also experienced this Lord as One who attacks with fierce anger, who forgets, who doesn’t help, who rejects, who remains silent in the face of daily pleas. Can the Lord who keeps us safe also be the One who remains silent when we need him to act with justice and mercy?
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus cries on the cross.
Jesus plumbed the terrible depth of God’s silence. And yet he shouts: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” moments before he dies. The God who turned away from a Son is still Father. “You keep me safe, LORD God. So when I pray at night, please listen carefully to each of my concerns,” begins the writer of Psalm 88. He begins there. And so must we.
“Got to kick at the darkness ’til it bleeds daylight,” writes Canadian songwriter Bruce Cockburn. The pain, death and unfairness we all experience in some form demand that we do just that. Psalm 88 gives us permission to pray the hard questions and encourages us to keep praying. Resurrection daylight will come.
Respond
Our Comforter, you meet the needs of those who suffer. We need faith to keep praying our suffering through your silence so that we may know your resurrection power. In Jesus’ name. Amen
Renee James
Renee James is the communications director for Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec (CBWOQ), and the editor of its award-winning magazine live. An award-winning freelance writer, she’s been published in Faith Today and has been a regular contributor to Leadership Journal and Today’s Christian Woman both published by Christianity Today International (CTI). She's also been a regular contributor to Gifted For Leadership, CTI’s leadership blog written by and for women leaders.