The Gloomiest Chapter In The Bible – Psalm 88 – Passing Through Stormy Seas – Part 3 With Conclusions Series

SERIES - THE PSALMS OF KORAH – PSALM 88 PART 3

THE GLOOMIEST CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE – PSALM 88 – PASSING THROUGH STORMY SEAS – PART 3

VERSE 13 Psalm 88:13 But I, O LORD, have cried out to You for help, and in the morning my prayer comes before You.

The previous verses comprise four questions all beginning with “Will” - Psalm 88:10 Will You perform wonders for the dead? Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah. Psa 88:11 Will Your loving-kindness be declared in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? Psa 88:12 Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness and Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? These were negative questions that all had the answer “No”, for as we saw last time, this psalmist considered death the end of it all. His thoughts were common for his era. The hope of the resurrection has sprung to life with our Firstfruits, with Jesus Christ Himself, who died and rose again. Yes, that son of Korah is in heaven today. He was one of God’s own and God keeps His own in perfect security.

The glorious hope of the Lord’s coming for His own, and the accompanying resurrection of the bodies of all the dead saints is the mighty achievement of the Saviour who rose triumphantly over sin and death. The body of this writer of Psalm 88 still lies in the grave, and will hear that powerful summons at the Rapture when corruptible will put on incorruption.

Verse 13 begins with a “But” in the NASB. In spite of all that has preceded this verse when all was only gloom and misery without a ray of sunshine, the psalmist chooses a “But”, meaning, in spite of all the failure, all the black ceiling of a silent God, all the hopeless despair he has written of, he will not depart from his resolve to continue to seek God.

This “But” is a great division and tells us he is not going to throw it all away, or walk in the opposite direction, or give up on God. God is absent, does not answer, seems not to give the psalmist hope of His presence, but that will not be a cause of departure for him. Even in the gloom and misery there is a lesson for all. Do not give up on God, for God has not given up on you. Jellyfish have no resolve; they drift aimlessly in whatever direction the tides of time and circumstance may take them. We have too many jellyfish Christians, or if you like, “fairweather Christians” who go along with the crowd, but have not the fortitude to stand when adversity comes. Do not be one of them.

All the versions I checked begin verse 13 with “But” and rightly so. Take a look at verse 13 and choose what you think are three key words in the verse. There is no correct answer here but I chose cried, help, and prayer. There is no one else to cry out to. In our very worst extreme of pain, despair, feeling of abandonment, tragedy, crisis, even in God’s deafness, there is no other avenue for us, no other resource we have. Our faith may be tested and savaged by doubt and hopelessness, but it must remain faith with its centre and focus in the Lord Jesus Christ. The psalmist prayed to God, he cried out to God.

My next word is “help”. Other help have I none. Help of the helpless, our God is the Rock of our support. God is a very present help in time of need. Human emotions are flimsy and often misleading. What we feel may not be the true reality. There used to be a statement people made in this matter of faith, even blind faith. “God said it, and I believe it.” Just don’t mouth words, really believe that God is your help. The psalmist knew that even though the skies above him were black. It does not seem much use to have God as your help when all is rosy and calm. It is in the storm you need that assurance.

The third word I chose and you should have also, is prayer. Prayer is not the last resort but an ongoing one-on-One communion with the Lord God. Prayer does not have to be spoken in an attitude of prayer. I find I think things partly then reflecting of God. That is prayer. It is communion and it does not have to be formal. Think for a moment to the time when the Lord was here and walking with His disciples. They would have a lot of casual times and would just commune as you would with friends. They might ask, question, share ideas and thoughts – all that, as I can see, can come under the umbrella of prayer.