Brutal Honesty Psalm 88

“God, you’re my last chance of the day. I spend the night on my knees before you. Put me on your salvation agenda; take notes on the trouble I’m in. I’ve had my fill of trouble; I’m camped on the edge of hell. I’m written off as a lost cause, one more statistic, a hopeless case. Abandoned as already dead, one more body in a stack of corpses, and not so much as a gravestone – I’m a black hole in oblivion. You’ve dropped me into a bottomless pit, sunk me in a pitch-black abyss. I’m battered senseless by your rage, relentlessly pounded by your waves of anger. You turned my friends against me, made me horrible to them. I’m caught in a maze and can’t find my way out, blinded by tears of pain and frustration…I’m standing my ground, God, shouting for help, at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak. Why, God, do you turn a deaf ear? Why do you make yourself scarce? For as long as I remember I’ve been hurting; I’ve taken the worst you can hand out, and I’ve had it. Your wildfire anger has blazed through my life; I’m bleeding, black and blue. You’ve attacked me fiercely from every side, raining down blows till I’m nearly dead. You made lover and neighbor alike dump me; the only friend I have left is Darkness.” (Psalm 88, The Message)

Well, now that I have your attention! Wow…talk about an honest conversation with God. The writer of Psalm 88 pretty much just lets it all out here! So much for holding back…this is brutal honesty. It seems like the writer has found himself overwhelmed with no answer from the One he cries out to.

Have you ever been in that position? You find your back up against the wall…you can’t take it any more…you cry out to God for help…and, you hear nothing in return? I know there have been times in my life where I’ve been in this position. We experience moments in life where we are completely overwhelmed with all that this life throws at us…and we cry out to God…and all we hear is silence. I often will cry out, “God, are you listening to me? If you are, why don’t you say something…anything…please!!!”

Often, I’m prone to just give up. I cry out to God and I hear nothing in return…So, I give up. But, that’s not the case with the writer of this Psalm. He doesn’t give up…Instead, he cries out with more intensity and passion. He holds nothing back…He opens up completely to God. Too often, I’m tempted to hold back because I’m afraid that I might offend God. That doesn’t seem to be an issue for this Psalm writer! It shows us the need for us to address God even when it appears that God isn’t answering. This Psalm calls us to remain faithful, even when it appears that God is absent. We have to remember that sometimes God is answering, but our eyes aren’t completely open to what He’s showing. But, there are times He remains silent in order to take us through something that will help us grow and mature. The main thing is to remain faithful…to keep addressing the only One that can deliver us from our troubles.

This is a brutally honest Psalm…it’s kind of dark and almost disturbing. But, if you keep reading through the Psalms…everything quickly changes. The first verse of Psalm 89 says, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” In the midst of our trials, it is important to continually address our Father in honest dialogue…and it is equally important to give him all the praise and glory He is due.