A Living Hope?
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A SONG. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. TO THE CHOIRMASTER:
ACCORDING TO MAHALATH LEANNOTH. A MASKIL OF HEMAN THE EZRAHITE.
Psalm 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like 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.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.
Grace Place, my heart is heavy, and my mind is grieving. As a body, we continue to walk through the darkness and suffering in this world. Some are caused by the sins of others in and around our lives and families. Some are our sins, devastating our lives and the lives of others. These greatly impact us as individuals, as families, and together as the body of Jesus Christ. There are those of us who have been grieving for years, and some of us grieving for months or days. However, all of us are affected by the grieving, sorrow, and suffering of the body. Some of us turn immediately to Christ and cry out to Him for rescue, some of us don’t know where to turn, how to cry out, or even how to grieve. Some of us find strength, power, and freedom, while others of us live with brokenness and pain daily.
No matter who you are, no matter how you have or are suffering, all will suffer, are suffering, or have suffered much. All will, “cry out day and night before you… my soul is full of troubles… my beloved and my friend shun me, my companions have become darkness.”
This Psalm is one of two that never come back to a place of glorifying God for His goodness and grace, for His love and mercy. It doesn’t draw near to God in the end or recognize the Lord’s power to save or heal.
When we read this, we can begin to walk in agreement with Heman (the author) and sympathize with the cry of this heart. We can feel justified in our pain to withdraw from others, bury ourselves in grief, and hide from those whom the Lord has placed in our lives to bear the burdens with us and walk alongside us.
However, there is another Psalm that begins very similarly…
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID.
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots…
Do you hear the pain in the opening line of this Psalm? “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer and by night, but I find no rest.”
It is very close to the opening line of Psalm 88, “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 (a place of death)”
GOD, WHERE ARE YOU! I AM ALONE AND FORSAKEN, HAVE MERCY, HEAR ME, ANSWER ME.
As you read these two Psalms together, recognize that not only are you able to relate to Heman in his agony and misery, but you can also relate to David in his cries for God. Some of you may be too young still, and you may not understand this level of torment and anguish. Please know it is on its way, you will walk in this as well and would do well to be ready.
Think for a moment about Psalm 88 and Heman who wrote it. Heman left us amid the darkness, he left us in the middle of the sorrow, however, David is foreshadowing the death of his Lord and how he would be left alone on the cross that day. Through the darkness, Jesus would hang alone, forsaken by everyone, suffering the wrath of God for the sin of all mankind being poured out on Him. He would die, and be literally, placed in a grave, unlike Heman’s cry that he is, “like the slain that lie in the grave.” Jesus suffers abandonment, brutality, and death. He is mocked, His body is beaten, His blood spilled, and His possessions taken.
Yet, there is something different. This sufferer has a purpose in His suffering, there is a greater thing happening in His torment and pain. He is redeeming those of you who are His, He is creating a new way for them to suffer, to grieve. Listen…
Psalm 22 (continued)
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
This is different, Heman suffers and there is only darkness, Heman is in pain and sees only more pain. The Lord through David says, “All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!”
You are the offspring of Israel, you are the offspring of Jacob, He is telling you to stand. Yes, in your affliction stand, be in awe of God. Why? Because “he has not despised or abhorred (hated) the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him but has heard when he cried to him.” God has heard Jesus as He speaks on your behalf, as He advocates for you in heaven to the Father. Your affliction is not only seen by God, He hears it. You may not feel as though you are being heard or seen, but the Word of God does not lie. It says God has not despised or hated the affliction of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from Jesus but heard Him when He cried.
As we sit today on this Saturday between the death of Christ and His resurrection, know that if you are a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, you are not…listen…You Are Not Forsaken. You are heard, you are seen, your pain and agony matter to God, to Jesus, and He has not left you alone in it. He has given you His Spirit to counsel you, to empower you, to love you, and He has given you His Body to care for you and walk with you through the grief.
Behold morning is on its way, Sunday is coming, The Lord is Risen, He has overcome Sin and Death, and brother and sister in Christ you are His.
1 Peter 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
A SONG. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. TO THE CHOIRMASTER:
ACCORDING TO MAHALATH LEANNOTH. A MASKIL OF HEMAN THE EZRAHITE.
Psalm 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation,
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like 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.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O LORD;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,
or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness,
or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast my soul away?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
my companions have become darkness.
Grace Place, my heart is heavy, and my mind is grieving. As a body, we continue to walk through the darkness and suffering in this world. Some are caused by the sins of others in and around our lives and families. Some are our sins, devastating our lives and the lives of others. These greatly impact us as individuals, as families, and together as the body of Jesus Christ. There are those of us who have been grieving for years, and some of us grieving for months or days. However, all of us are affected by the grieving, sorrow, and suffering of the body. Some of us turn immediately to Christ and cry out to Him for rescue, some of us don’t know where to turn, how to cry out, or even how to grieve. Some of us find strength, power, and freedom, while others of us live with brokenness and pain daily.
No matter who you are, no matter how you have or are suffering, all will suffer, are suffering, or have suffered much. All will, “cry out day and night before you… my soul is full of troubles… my beloved and my friend shun me, my companions have become darkness.”
This Psalm is one of two that never come back to a place of glorifying God for His goodness and grace, for His love and mercy. It doesn’t draw near to God in the end or recognize the Lord’s power to save or heal.
When we read this, we can begin to walk in agreement with Heman (the author) and sympathize with the cry of this heart. We can feel justified in our pain to withdraw from others, bury ourselves in grief, and hide from those whom the Lord has placed in our lives to bear the burdens with us and walk alongside us.
However, there is another Psalm that begins very similarly…
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO THE DOE OF THE DAWN. A PSALM OF DAVID.
Psalm 22
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots…
Do you hear the pain in the opening line of this Psalm? “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer and by night, but I find no rest.”
It is very close to the opening line of Psalm 88, “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 (a place of death)”
GOD, WHERE ARE YOU! I AM ALONE AND FORSAKEN, HAVE MERCY, HEAR ME, ANSWER ME.
As you read these two Psalms together, recognize that not only are you able to relate to Heman in his agony and misery, but you can also relate to David in his cries for God. Some of you may be too young still, and you may not understand this level of torment and anguish. Please know it is on its way, you will walk in this as well and would do well to be ready.
Think for a moment about Psalm 88 and Heman who wrote it. Heman left us amid the darkness, he left us in the middle of the sorrow, however, David is foreshadowing the death of his Lord and how he would be left alone on the cross that day. Through the darkness, Jesus would hang alone, forsaken by everyone, suffering the wrath of God for the sin of all mankind being poured out on Him. He would die, and be literally, placed in a grave, unlike Heman’s cry that he is, “like the slain that lie in the grave.” Jesus suffers abandonment, brutality, and death. He is mocked, His body is beaten, His blood spilled, and His possessions taken.
Yet, there is something different. This sufferer has a purpose in His suffering, there is a greater thing happening in His torment and pain. He is redeeming those of you who are His, He is creating a new way for them to suffer, to grieve. Listen…
Psalm 22 (continued)
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him.
26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD!
May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
28 For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
30 Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
This is different, Heman suffers and there is only darkness, Heman is in pain and sees only more pain. The Lord through David says, “All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!”
You are the offspring of Israel, you are the offspring of Jacob, He is telling you to stand. Yes, in your affliction stand, be in awe of God. Why? Because “he has not despised or abhorred (hated) the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him but has heard when he cried to him.” God has heard Jesus as He speaks on your behalf, as He advocates for you in heaven to the Father. Your affliction is not only seen by God, He hears it. You may not feel as though you are being heard or seen, but the Word of God does not lie. It says God has not despised or hated the affliction of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from Jesus but heard Him when He cried.
As we sit today on this Saturday between the death of Christ and His resurrection, know that if you are a child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, you are not…listen…You Are Not Forsaken. You are heard, you are seen, your pain and agony matter to God, to Jesus, and He has not left you alone in it. He has given you His Spirit to counsel you, to empower you, to love you, and He has given you His Body to care for you and walk with you through the grief.
Behold morning is on its way, Sunday is coming, The Lord is Risen, He has overcome Sin and Death, and brother and sister in Christ you are His.
1 Peter 1
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
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