A Prayer when Darkness is Your Closest Friend

Psalm 88

Psalm 88 is the portrait of a godly man crying to the Lord in great suffering—and seeing no light at the end of the tunnel.

Ligon Duncan

Psalm 88 is said to be the darkest of all Psalms. One-third of the Psalms are lament psalms. Their tone is one of sadness and searching, looking for God in the midst of their suffering. But typically the lament psalms show a progression of sorrow and questioning to confident trust by the end of the psalm (Psalm 13 for example). However, Psalm 88 does not follow that progression. Instead, according to Tim Keller, the very last word in this Psalm in Hebrew is ‘darkness.’ The psalmist ends without a hope that his situation will be improved or settled. He concludes the psalm saying, “Darkness is my closest friend” (Psalm 88:18 NIV).

Ligon Duncan in his excellent booklet on Psalm 88 says, “Not everyone gets a happy ending in a fallen world—and that includes even godly believers.” But while this Psalm is unquestionably heavy with dark emotions, Duncan gives several reasons why this Psalm can still offer hope for the believer in their darkest days. First, this psalm is included in the canon of Scripture so we would have words to express our deepest griefs. We may not all experience darkness so profound that we despair of life, but we live in a fallen world and none of us pass through it unscathed. Psalm 88 gives us words to cry to God in our pain. Derek Kidner says, “The very presence of these prayers in Scripture is a witness to God’s understanding. God knows how men speak when they are desperate” (quoted by T. Keller).

Next, Duncan says Psalm 88 offers hope because, though the circumstances may be very difficult, God’s character never changes and He is our hope and help. “Many times in the Christian life, God answers our cries ‘Why, O Lord?’ not by explaining his providence but by giving us a deeper understanding of his person. In other words, when we cry, ‘Lord, why are you doing this?’ he often answers by saying, ‘Let me show you who I am.’ And if you see him, he will be enough” (Duncan).

Finally, “the suffering of this psalm ultimately points to the sufferings of Jesus” (Duncan). Because of Christ’s suffering, all the suffering, agony, and questions of Psalm 88 have an ultimate resurrection-powered hope. “In the cross Christ took the cup of Psalm 88 and drank it” (Sumner). If we read back through Psalm 88 with Christ in view, we see how this Psalm was borne by our Lord in His suffering and death. And this is the very reason that our darkest days do not end in hopelessness. Christ, our merciful and faithful High Priest, has borne our sorrows and carried our griefs, and He can sympathize with His children. His death and resurrection gives eternal hope in these earthly days of darkness. All our suffering will be transformed into glories by His power.

Sumner, in his sermon on Psalm 88, says, “Our hope in the pits is prayer.” We have a God who hears our cries from the darkest, deepest pits of life. Even when it may not seem that He is working, or listening, or near, His promises are sure for us in Christ. He will never leave us not forsake us. His ears are attuned to our cries for help. He will freely give us all things in Christ. Let’s turn to Him during our dark days or for those we know walking through their own darkness.

Resources:

Ligon Duncan’s sermon In the Lowest Pit
Tim Keller’s sermon How to Deal with Dark Times
Chance Sumner’s sermon The Darkest Lament

I cry out!

88:1-2 O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!

O Lord, I pray:

▫️Save me, O Lord, according to Your steadfast love. Save me from this darkness, from this dark night of my soul. You know the things that have brought me to this place. Bring me out by Your powerful hand.

▫️I am crying out day and night. This sadness and weariness are constantly near me. Be near me, O God, and let the light of Your presence illumine my darkness.

▫️Please hear my prayer for help. Turn Your face toward me and show Your favor to me once again. Incline Your ear to my pleas for mercy from this overwhelming sadness.

▫️Help my soul to rest in You knowing You have brought me to this place even though I do not understand why.

My soul is full of troubles

88:3-9 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am a man who has no strength, like one set loose among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call upon you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you.

Father of mercy, I pray:

▫️You see that my soul is full of troubles. Please rescue me. Your word says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Please deliver me from my affliction.

▫️Sometimes I feel like it would be better to depart and be with You than to continue on in this darkness and depression. Give me hope to persevere.

▫️I have no strength in myself to loose myself of these dark thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Strengthen me with Your power to fight to think on what is true and right and good. Give me something from Your Word today that I can cling to.

▫️Remember me, Lord. I feel forgotten here in my misery. See me, hear my cries, act for me.

▫️Your hand is heavy on me. Turn Your hand so that it lifts me up and guides me. Carry me through this long, lonely place I find myself.

▫️I feel I cannot escape. O Lord, help me! Free me from this burden and this darkness.

▫️My tears are my food day and night and my eyes grow dim with sorrow. I am so tired of crying and being in the pit. Bring me up out of the pit. Place my feet on the rock. Give me a firm place to stand. Put a song in my mouth (Psalm 40:1-3).

▫️Every single day I have been calling on You, Lord. My hands are spread out to You. I’m pleading with You all day to work Your wonders, to remove my darkness, to restore joy and hope to my heart and mind.

Asking questions in faith

88:10-12 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Compassionate Lord, I pray:

▫️Where are You, Lord? Have You hidden Your face from me? Have You shut up Your ears from my cries for help? Why are You silent?

▫️Why have You allowed this darkness to continue? Why do I see no light at the end of the tunnel? Is this darkness to be with me the remainder of my life? Will I be able to hold fast to You even if this darkness continues?

▫️Will I see Your steadfast love and faithfulness work for me?

I am helpless

88:13-18 But I, O Lord, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? Afflicted and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am helpless. Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together. You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.

My Savior, I pray:

▫️Lord, even though it seems at times that You do not hear me and You are not near, I am calling out to You again this morning. Give me faith to trust You and to keep coming to You again and again.

▫️It feels as though You have hidden Your face from me. Turn toward me today, Lord, and let me feel the nearness of Your presence. Make Your face shine upon Your servant.

▫️I feel helpless to change myself, my emotions, my responses, or my situation. Help me, Lord! None of the changes necessary are too hard for You. But if I must wait, help me to see You as enough. Help me to be satisfied in You. Help me to truly know that Christ is sufficient.

▫️When I feel surrounded in darkness, You would help me see Your rays of hope. I would not be utterly abandoned, but You would provide others to walk alongside me in this time.

May the Lord do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, for His glory and our good. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Photo credit to gadiellv

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