In The Word
Read: Psalm 88
A Petition to Be Saved from Death.
A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director; according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
88 O Lord, the God of my salvation,
I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You;
Incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul has had enough troubles,
And my life has drawn near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,
5 Forsaken among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
In dark places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath has rested upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.
8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.
9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction;
I have called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have spread out my hands to You.
10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,
Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Lord, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
16 Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They have surrounded me like water all day long;
They have encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
Today’s psalm expresses the diligent prayer of one with constant suffering. The psalmist mourned the intense affliction that he had since his youth. The affliction had brought the psalmist to the point of death. To him it seemed the Lord had cast him aside and removed His favor. Even his friends despised and deserted him. The psalmist seemed to believe that the suffering was a form of God’s wrath. Yet he also obviously believed that God loved him. Despite his troubles, he did not stop bringing his request to God for healing.
Becoming a Christian does not keep a person from troubles, sadness, or suffering. These are the difficult consequences of a fallen world full of sin. The response to suffering is not to give up or to despair, but to seek God continually in prayer. Prayer may not give the reason for a person’s suffering. But it will reassure him that God is faithfully there to help him endure suffering with dignity and hope. Some Christians will mistakenly stop praying if God does not quickly give them a satisfactory answer. To them it may seem that God wants them to remain in their difficult situation. That is incorrect! Though it may appear that God is not responding to prayers or is delaying His answer, God is moving on their behalf.
If you are suffering with any affliction, read Luke 18:1-8 to learn how to have faith in God through persistent prayer. Do not give up on God. God will not give up on you.