Psalm 88:1–3
O LORD, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
Psalm 88 is the only psalm in the Bible that does not conclude with a note of hope or faith. It seems to end in darkness. But it begins with the words, “O Lord, God of my salvation.” It is a prayer of faith from the deepest, most sorrowful place, and it serves as an invitation for us when we are in the lowest places.
It is an invitation to lament. Lament is more than an expression of sorrow; it is to bring our complaints and sorrows to God as an act of faith and worship. Worship is not merely measured in praise and thankfulness. It is also measured in acting toward God as if he is the kind of God he says he is: sovereign, wise, loving, slow to anger, just, merciful, caring for the widow and fatherless, with a heart for the poor and needy. And this means part of our worship is bringing sorrows and needs and pain and confusion and questions to him. And he welcomes them. To do so is not exhibiting a lack of faith. It is an act of faith.
The Psalmist knows who he is addressing. So he comes in faith, even if it is just the dregs of his faith, and cries out to God. And he does so with doggedness–day and night (v.1), every day (v. 9). So the invitation is this: bring your worst, your most painful, your most difficult, your most exhausting, your most discouraging to God–the god of your salvation–any time, all the time. Hold nothing back, but take nothing anywhere else. And he will receive you and care for you.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.