Psalm 88 Young’s Literal Translation
88 A Song, a Psalm, by sons of Korah, to the Overseer, `Concerning the Sickness of Afflictions.’ — An instruction, by Heman the Ezrahite. O Jehovah, God of my salvation, Daily I have cried, nightly before Thee,
2 My prayer cometh in before Thee, Incline Thine ear to my loud cry,
3 For my soul hath been full of evils, And my life hath come to Sheol.
4 I have been reckoned with those going down [to] the pit, I have been as a man without strength.
5 Among the dead — free, As pierced ones lying in the grave, Whom Thou hast not remembered any more, Yea, they by Thy hand have been cut off.
6 Thou hast put me in the lowest pit, In dark places, in depths.
7 Upon me hath Thy fury lain, And [with] all Thy breakers Thou hast afflicted. Selah.
8 Thou hast put mine acquaintance far from me, Thou hast made me an abomination to them, Shut up — I go not forth.
9 Mine eye hath grieved because of affliction, I called Thee, O Jehovah, all the day, I have spread out unto Thee my hands.
10 To the dead dost Thou do wonders? Do Rephaim rise? do they thank Thee? Selah.
11 Is Thy kindness recounted in the grave? Thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Are Thy wonders known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 And I, unto Thee, O Jehovah, I have cried, And in the morning doth my prayer come before Thee.
14 Why, O Jehovah, castest Thou off my soul? Thou hidest Thy face from me.
15 I [am] afflicted, and expiring from youth, I have borne Thy terrors — I pine away.
16 Over me hath Thy wrath passed, Thy terrors have cut me off,
17 They have surrounded me as waters all the day, They have gone round against me together,
18 Thou hast put far from me lover and friend, Mine acquaintance [is] the place of darkness!
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
No sadder psalm. Psalm 88 is regarded as the saddest psalm, the most desolate of all 150 psalms. It is considered the most despairing and bleak passage in the Bible with its sobering themes of unrelenting darkness, suffering, agony, helplessness, even hopelessness, due to the apparent absence of God.
It is a profound expression of anguish and despair. It has no uplifting or hopeful themes like many other psalms. Yet it is significant as an individual lament psalm where the psalmist knows nothing but sorrow and agony. But even in the darkness of his grief he turns to God for deliverance (Ps 88:1).
The bleakest of all the prayers in the psalms.
Psalm 88 is written by one who is ill for a long time, friendless, near to death and ends in darkness (Ps 88:18), in contrast to most psalms that end with a note of confidence or praise (Ps 13:1-2, 5-6; 22:1-2, 30-31).
It is a “psalm without hope,” a poignant, unrelenting and intense lament, expressing deep distress, despair, anguish, a profound sense of abandonment.
He pours out his soul in a raw and honest prayer.
He describes his overwhelming suffering, both outward and inward, his physical and emotional afflictions, and a feeling of profound darkness and of being forsaken by both God and human companions.
Throughout the psalm, he questions God’s apparent absence and the purpose of his afflictions.
The tone remains bleak, and the psalm concludes with a sense of isolation, loneliness, despair and darkness, making it a most somber and desolate psalm.
Unlike many other psalms of lament, Psalm 88 lacks any clear resolution or any expression of hope, highlighting the raw, unremitting nature of the psalmist’s suffering.
Hoping without hope.
The psalmist has almost given up on God, but not completely, as he still prays and hopes that God will save him from his predicament.
But it’s still a prayer as the psalmist continues to turn to God to voice his sheer anguish and call for help.
It is a model prayer for anyone who seems to have met with silence from God.
Skip it?
Psalm 88 is skipped over by most pastors, who prefer Bible passages that are full of singing God’s praises and speaking of God’s goodness.
But Psalm 88 does the very opposite!
The author of this psalm does not speak of God positively at all.
In fact, he is blaming and accusing God for his whole life situation, being quite sarcastic, questioning God’s goodness, and more or less rebuking God out of his anguish and frustration!
It is one of the rawest, most insightful, and most human chapters of the Bible.
And in its rawest presentation it is absolutely beautiful, unbelievably grabbing at every single heart string God weaved into us and even strangely comforting.
No Comfort, No Hope and No Answers
The darkness deepens.
The darkest depths.
Darkness is my closest friend.
Darkness without light; trust without hope.
A prayer in the darkness of despair.
The darkness of the soul: patient faith, faithful patience.
A petition to be saved from death.
A cry from the grave.
A cry of pain and sorrow.
A desperate prayer from deep affliction.
A sermon for sufferers.
How to deal with dark times?
Facing the deepest darkness of despair and abandonment?
Contemplating the hidden God as the hostile God?
Life without Comfort (Ps 88:1-9). Complaints against God’s action.
Death without Hope (Ps 88:10-12). Challenges to God’s wisdom.
Questions without Answers (Ps 88:13-18). Charges against God’s conduct.
While still praying and crying out to God to save him (Ps 88:1, 9, 13), the psalmist’s existential reality is as follows:
- Sleepless (Ps 88:1-2).
- Overwhelmed (Ps 88:3-5).
- Ruined (Ps 88:6-9).
- Dying (Ps 88:10-12).
- Rejected (Ps 88:13-14).
- Darkness (Ps 88:15-18).
consider also these additional Questions:
- Can you live a life without comfort (1-9)?
- Can you die without hope (10-12)?
- Can you live with questions without answers (13-18)?
- Can you live when there is no light at the end of the tunnel?
- Can you go on trusting God when you feel abandoned by God (and friends)?
- Can you live by faith when the future seems dark and bleak?
- Can you express raw, honest emotions of anger and frustration towards God during difficult times? Or just be thankful?
In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit …
Praying …
Psalm 86 Complete Jewish Bible
86 (0) A prayer of David:
(1) Listen, Adonai, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save your servant,
who puts his trust in you
because you are my God.
3 Take pity on me, Adonai,
for I cry to you all day.
4 Fill your servant’s heart with joy,
for to you, Adonai, I lift my heart.
5 Adonai, you are kind and forgiving,
full of grace toward all who call on you.
6 Listen, Adonai, to my prayer;
pay attention to my pleading cry.
7 On the day of my trouble I am calling on you,
for you will answer me.
8 There is none like you among the gods, Adonai;
no deeds compare with yours.
9 All the nations you have made
will come and bow before you, Adonai;
they will honor your name.
10 For you are great, and you do wonders;
you alone are God.
11 Adonai, teach me your way,
so that I can live by your truth;
make me single-hearted,
so that I can fear your name.
12 I will thank you, Adonai my God,
with my whole heart;
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 For your grace toward me is so great!
You have rescued me from the lowest part of Sh’ol.
14 God, arrogant men are rising against me,
a gang of brutes is seeking my life,
and to you they pay no attention.
15 But you, Adonai,
are a merciful, compassionate God,
slow to anger
and rich in grace and truth.
16 Turn to me, and show me your favor;
strengthen your servant, save your slave-girl’s son.
17 Give me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me
will see it and be ashamed,
because you, Adonai,
have helped and comforted me.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 