Psalm 88
Psalm 88 Meaning
Psalm 88 is the darkest psalm in the Bible, a lament that does not resolve into light. The sufferer feels near death, forsaken, and shut in, and even his friends are far from him.
It ends without a turn to praise, teaching us that faith can cry out honestly even from unrelieved darkness, and that such a prayer still belongs in the book of worship.
Key verses from Psalm 88
“O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:”
Psalm 88:1
“For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.”
Psalm 88:3
“Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.”
Psalm 88:9
“Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.”
Psalm 88:18
How Psalm 88 points to Jesus
Jesus entered a darkness even deeper than this psalm's, forsaken and shut in the tomb. Because He did, no darkness is beyond His reach, and our most desolate prayers are not left alone.