(Psalm 88:1-18) 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 approached Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I have become like a man without strength,
5 Abandoned among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You no longer remember,
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 grows dim from misery;
I have called upon You every day, Lord;
I have spread out my hands to You.
10 Will You perform wonders for the dead?
Or will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah
11 Will Your graciousness 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, Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Lord, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was miserable and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I grow weary.
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 encircled me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in a hiding place.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
First of all, this psalm really demonstrates just how personal our relationship with God can get. We are reading God's inspired, infallible word here, and He included this psalm (of David's venting) to be included in His word! God "wrote" the book so that we can "hear" God speaking directly to us! As we study the Bible, we can see that God never sugarcoats the facts, because He truly wants us to know Him, and know that we can go to Him with anything and everything. He clearly speaks to us, and expresses in His love letter to us that He desires to hear from us, 24-7!
Therefore, we are to know that we can vent to God. When we vent to people, we still have to be so very caring and mindful as to how we word things, and depending on who it is, we have to be careful how much we actually share. God's word is very clear about not gossiping, but going directly to those who have hurt us in efforts to reconcile, and pursue peace. And even in this, we are to speak with God's love, wisdom and discernment, gently, kindly and compassionately. People are NOT God and are definitely NOT perfect.
Now, in our relationship with the Lord, we can be totally honest with Him about how we are feeling, so that in our discussions with Him, we can gain peace, comfort, insight and understanding. We will see that we are to allow God to work things out for us. It may not be that God removes the obstacles in our path, but we can be confident that God will take us in a better way, which will always lead us to be closer to Him. And we will definitely see God do amazing things in our lives!
Now, this psalm also shows David's humanness, although I cannot totally relate, as I have never been a king over a nation, surrounded by many, many enemies. But whatever we are going through, we should keep in mind that God is in control, and does not tempt anyone or cause evil. He is just and fair, and will only allow certain things to fall onto us, whether these are consequences of our own actions, or consequences of other people's actions, or due to natural disasters or diseases because we live in a sinful, fallen, broken world.
God allows these things into our lives as tests for us to grow closer to Him. And as we go through these struggles while continuing to trust in the Lord, and persistently striving to lean on Him and rest in Him... it will be a great testimony to ourselves and to those around us. These experiences will inspire, teach and encourage other believers, as well as speak to unbelievers.
Therefore, in such times we are to be like David - steadfastly pursuing the Lord!!! We can tell and ask God anything, because He already knows what we are thinking and feeling. And, David asks some questions in verses 10 to 12 which might sound unreasonable to many, but they are excellent questions. Not only did God eventually answer these questions, but the answer is beyond amazing!
When Jesus died and paid the price for sin, He did go to that dark place. And because He rose again, having victory over death, those who believe in Him, will be resurrected and go to heaven for all eternity! This includes anyone who believed in the Lord BEFORE Jesus came to earth in flesh... including David.
In summary, even if things seem extremely dark and hopeless right now, if we have placed our faith in Christ, we can be confident and rely on His faithfulness and graciousness. The Lord created us, and He loves us so very deeply! He is literally our soulmate, our everywhere-present bff, our very understanding confidant, our omniscient source of truth and wisdom, our omnipotent protector and help, and our very present certain hope!
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