1 O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul has had enough troubles, and my life has drawn near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without strength,
5 Forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more, and they are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.
8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.
9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction; I have called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have spread out my hands to You.
2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul has had enough troubles, and my life has drawn near to Sheol.
4 I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit; I have become like a man without strength,
5 Forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more, and they are cut off from Your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths.
7 Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.
8 You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them;
I am shut up and cannot go out.
9 My eye has wasted away because of affliction; I have called upon You every day, O Lord;
I have spread out my hands to You.
10 Will You perform wonders for the dead? Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
11 Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 O Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
16 Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They have surrounded me like water all day long; They have encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in darkness.
14 O Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
16 Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
17 They have surrounded me like water all day long; They have encompassed me altogether.
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in darkness.
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying: The Psalms I am studying seem to often be a cry for help. So much of the Christian life is surrounded with messages of how great life is with God and how greater it can be. But it seems the reality is that life is difficult. But, I think it is difficult for those that are truly following the Lord. Our American economy and way of life seems rather to focus on ensuring that life is not difficult, not a challenge, safe, free from sickness, disease, and problems. And when those events occur in our life, we have a tendency to then make it out that God somehow doesn't care for us as much as we thought he did, when life ws simply and easy. So much of our existence is focused on successful living. We have bought into the notion that those with money simply have an easier time with life.
Thus, as I look at this Psalm the words that are being prayed are:
- I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
- incline Your ear to my cry!
- my soul has had enough troubles
- my life has drawn near to Sheol
- like a man without strength,
- Forsaken among the dead
- like the slain
- You have put me in the lowest pit
- Your wrath has rested upon me
- You have afflicted me with all Your waves
- You have removed my acquaintances far from me
- I was afflicted
- I suffer Your terrors
- I am overcome.
- Your burning anger has passed over me
- Your terrors have destroyed me.
- You have removed lover and friend far from me
Wow, this is someone who loves God and continues to call on His name, yet he feels alone, and in darkness and abandoned and stricken with wrath, afflicted, suffering and feeling destroyed.
And there is no rescue in this Psalm. There is no good news that prevails in the end. There is no one riding in on a horse to save the day. This Psalm is all lament.
Perseverance is a process and it is a process of moving through pain and tough times. This is a Psalm of perseverance. The writer is calling on the Lord. The writer is praying. He has not abandoned his faith, but continues to speak to His God.
Promise: From Tabletalk - "Even if all we can confess is our spiritual sorrow, it is worth bringing to the Lord in prayer."
Prayer: Lord, thank you for being there at all times. Help me to remember that I can call on you in my darkest moments. Help me to always be honest with you. Forgive me for always thinking that I must connect the dots. The reality is that live is just hard sometimes but my response is to continue to call upon your name, even if it is to voice my feelings of being abandoned by You.
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