Psalm 88:1

Psalm 88:1

On the brink of death

Many of the Psalmists’ writings have already taken us to the edge of the grave. This psalm is equally dark and depressing, for the writer appears to suggest that his whole life has been lived under the threat of death. He speaks as if every day has been an experience of the wrath of God, to the point that friends and family have withdrawn from him and turned him into an object that is repulsive to them. The Psalm suggests that some godly people are called to live on the edge of darkest trouble, their days are full of suffering and there is little hope or joy in their time on this earth. 

it is not inappropriate to interpret these words as a prophetic prayer from the lips of the Lord Jesus. There were few days of joy or relaxation during His early life, He was weighed down by the suffering of others, the grievances of the world, the rejection of His Father and the attacks of His enemies. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to imagine Him ambling along the roads of Israel chuckling away to Himself and sharing jokes and funny stories with His disciples. Those long hours spent in prayer in the mountains were a constant preparation for the trials and tribulations that were still to come, His task here was deadly serious and the only thing that kept Him going was the joy that lay ahead, beyond the cross and His time on this earth. Hebrews 12:1-3.

 

V1        The Psalm begins with a cry of hope amidst despair. Where do we go when everyone else has turned away? Who do we cry to when all else fails? Where do we look for salvation, when we have tried every human resource and solution? Who can help us when all have failed and there is no one left to offer hope? The last resort of the desolate and hopeless is God alone, “Lord, you are the God who saves me.”  There may well have been many men and women who reached this point of utter despair, where death seems to be a welcome visitor, a friend who will bring an end to the suffering. The reason that the Lord Jesus may have cried these words is that death offered Him no respite, His journey beyond the grave took Him to yet darker places and deeper suffering. Instead of crying out to God for salvation, which He did in the Garden of Gethsemane, our Lord cried from the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” 

The darkest and deepest of agonies must be when the troubled soul cries out day and night to a God who does not seem to hear. Is it possible that any human soul, other than Christ, has suffered to this degree? Yes, we know physical pain. Yes, we know rejection. Yes, we experience the darkness of deep depression but surely there is always some cause for hope. I am asking the questions but am not sure I have the answers. I believe that this was the dreadful plight of our Lord. 

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