Slices
Prepare
Ask God to speak to you through this psalm, so that you can understand the despair of the psalmist and learn from his persistent prayer.
Bible passage
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 Lord, you are the God who saves me;
day and night I cry out to you.
2 May my prayer come before you;
turn your ear to my cry.
3 I am overwhelmed with troubles
and my life draws near to death.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am like one without strength.
5 I am set apart with the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
who are cut off from your care.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit,
in the darkest depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me;
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
8 You have taken from me my closest friends
and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
9 my eyes are dim with grief.
I call to you, Lord, every day;
I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you show your wonders to the dead?
Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
11 Is your love declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
13 But I cry to you for help, Lord;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, Lord, do you reject me
and hide your face from me?
15 From my youth I have suffered and been close to death;
I have borne your terrors and am in despair.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
17 All day long they surround me like a flood;
they have completely engulfed me.
18 You have taken from me friend and neighbour –
darkness is my closest friend.
Explore
Probably the saddest psalm in the Bible, this is despair! Cries of pure misery do not end optimistically, and – apart from the opening phrase – no respite or solution is forthcoming. Perhaps it leaves us feeling bewildered and frustrated too.
It does show us that not all suffering will come to an end this side of heaven. The best is yet to come as we wait for Jesus’ return. Then, there will be no more pain nor tears, because the old order has gone (Revelation 21:1–5). Everything will be made new, and the darkness the psalmist refers to at the end of the psalm (v 18) will be replaced by the light of Christ (Revelation 22:5). Our struggles will end!
The persistence of prayer is evident throughout (vs 1,2,9,13). Despite a lack of answers, the psalmist, like Job, remains faithful to God (Job 27:1–6). Following God’s way is no guarantee of an easy life. It can be incredibly hard to stay faithful. But we can be sure that, even if we do not understand what is going on, God will never desert us. God is the one who saves us!
Respond
Overwhelmed, the psalmist is near death (v 3), weak (v 4), lonely (v 8) and grieving (v 9). Can you identify with this? Pray about the struggles you or others face, especially those that seem to be unresolved. Be persistent!
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: 2 Kings 23–25; Psalms 66,67
Pray for Scripture Union
Thank God for the new opportunities presented by the Glen Cairn campsite which has passed into the care of SU South Africa. Pray that God will give wisdom, and it will be a place of blessing to many.
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