Sermons

May 31, 2020

Psalm 88

God’s promises are sure

Psalm 88 is a poignant lament of unrelenting darkness.  It is the only lament psalms that does not include a statement of hope or a vow to praise.  Yet even in this persistent darkness the psalmist confesses that God is the “God of my salvation” (V1).  The psalmist describes not only weakness (v 4,15) and loneliness (v 7, 18) but also a sense of separation from or abandonment by God (v 5, 14).  The Hebrew text of the last verse trails off with a sense of halting incompleteness or gasping exhaustion.  This psalm also appeals to God’s commitment, truthfulness, and faithfulness (v 11,12) echoing Ps 33,85 and 86.