Hear My Cry

Psalm 88
A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.
2Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!
3For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength,
5like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you.
10Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?
15Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.
18You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.

 This psalm is a great one to have in your back pocket when life becomes overwhelming or you need to recommend a psalm to a struggling friend. These words are difficult to read. Clearly the author is in a life altering situation and a great deal of pain. We've all been there.

 The most famous recitation of this psalm is probably from the mouth of Jonah as he descended into the depths of the ocean inside the belly of the great fish. Now that was a desperate situation. But even in that unique place of stuggle we find a moment of hope; a moment of faith.

 For me this psalm pivots on verse 13. 
13But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

 That word "BUT" - there's the moment when the believer casts aside all of the pain and returns their focus to the Lord, reaffirming the fact that He alone can help. The pain still exists. This isn't a magic wand. But it is a shift in focus. I listened to a teaching yesterday (thanks, Matt Popovits) that helped me remember that there is always something to praise God for, even if it is as small as the next breath. When I divert my attention away from my problem and onto the the Lord, in that moment, there is peace. Sometimes peace is gained moment by moment, breath by breath. But that peace is available because God is ever faithful.




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