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A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the chief musician. According to Mahalath Leannoth. A contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.
(88-2) O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out by day, and in the night I come before You.
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(88-3) Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
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(88-4) For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
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(88-5) I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like a man without strength.
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(88-6) I am set apart among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand.
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(88-7) You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths.
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(88-8) Your wrath lies hard upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah
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(88-9) You have put my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them. I am shut up, and I cannot come forth;
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(88-10) my eye wastes away because of affliction. I have called upon You, O LORD, every day; I have stretched out my hands to You.
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(88-11) Will You show wonders to the dead? Shall the departed spirits rise up and praise You? Selah
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(88-12) Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, or Your faithfulness in destruction?
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(88-13) Shall Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
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(88-14) But as for me, O LORD, I cry out to You; and in the morning my prayer comes before You.
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(88-15) LORD, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?
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(88-16) I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught.
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(88-17) Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off.
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(88-18) They came around me like water all day long; they surrounded me together.
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(88-19) You have put far from me friend and companion; darkness is my acquaintance.
🕊️🙏📖 Summary of Psalm 88 – “A Cry from the Darkness”
Psalm 88 is one of the darkest and most lament-filled psalms in the whole Book of Psalms. Written by Heman the Ezrahite, this psalm does not end with hope or praise, unlike many other lament psalms.
It is a cry of a soul that feels abandoned, overwhelmed by suffering, loneliness, and the shadow of death — yet it still speaks to God.
📌 1. A Cry to God in Distress (verses 1–7)
➡️ “O LORD, God of my salvation, by day I cry out, and in the night I come before You.”
➡️ The psalmist describes his soul as full of troubles, and his life as though he were one going down to the realm of the dead.
🎯 Even in the deepest darkness, true faith still cries out to God.
📌 2. Feeling Rejected and Forgotten (verses 8–12)
➡️ “You have laid me in the lowest pit…”
➡️ He feels that God has put his friends and companions far from him, and his life has become as though he were no longer known.
➡️ He asks, “Can the dead praise You?”
➡️ His prayer is not a challenge, but a cry that longs to be understood.
🎯 When everyone draws away, God remains the One to whom we cry.
📌 3. A Prayer Without an Answer (verses 13–18)
➡️ The psalmist still cries to God each morning, yet sees no answer.
➡️ He says, “You have put friend and companion far from me… darkness is my companion.”
➡️ This is a psalm that ends in silence and darkness.
🎯 There are times when life gives no answer — but faith still endures to cry out.
📖 Main Lessons
- Not all suffering ends quickly — sometimes we walk through a long darkness
- God is not angered when we honestly express our pain
- Faith does not always mean feeling strong — but still coming to God even when the heart is empty
- Darkness does not hinder prayer — it can deepen true intimacy
- Spiritual silence is not proof that God has left — but an invitation to endure in faith
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Matthew 27:46
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
➡️ Jesus Himself experienced utter darkness on the cross, like the lament of Psalm 88.
📖 2 Corinthians 4:8–9
“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed…”
➡️ Psalm 88 is a mirror for believers who struggle, yet do not give up.
📖 Hebrews 4:15
“We have a High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
➡️ Christ understands suffering without answers.
📖 Romans 8:26
“The Spirit helps us in our weakness… with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
➡️ Even when the heart cannot find words, the Spirit is still at work.
🕊️ “By day I cry out, and in the night I come before You.” – Psalm 88:2
🕊️ “My soul is full of troubles, my life draws near to the realm of the dead.” – Psalm 88:4
🕊️ “Darkness is my acquaintance.” – Psalm 88:18
🕊️ “Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?” – Psalm 88:12
