Praying in the Darkness of Despair (Psalm 88, Part 3)

Crying for Help (verses 13-18)

Our daily mercies are anticipated in our morning prayers. Even when He seems to ignore us may we cry to God. May we follow our solemn cries with soul-searching examinations and sorrowful confessions. Jesus bore our guilt, paying a great price for our free salvation.

O Lord, we cry to You. In the morning our prayers come before You. Why do You seem to hide Your face from us? Where are our friends and neighbors? Thank You, loving God, for Your Son, Jesus Christ. May he be our friend forever.

As we experience “the dark night of the soul,” we can know that God’s silence will not last forever. When our minds are in turmoil may feelingly sing this psalm. When our minds are at peace, may we thankfully sing this psalm

I’ll praise Him while He lends me breath;

And when my voice is lost in death,

Praise shall employ my nobler pow’rs;

My days of praise shall ne’er be past,

While life, and thought, and being last,

Or immortality endures.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)