Psalm 88 - Where is God?

This psalm has been regarded as pessimistic because the petitioner does not indicate if his God answered his earnest prayer despite him having prayed desperately for a long time. Yet maybe that is why he wrote it; to help those who were waiting for God to answer their prayers, and to let them know that they are not alone in their perplexity.

Heman knows who God is – he is the covenant God of salvation who can answer prayer. Heman knows what he wants – he wants God to answer his persistent prayer. Heman knows what he is experiencing – deep soul troubles so intense that he might die (vv. 1-3). We are not told what his trouble was, but we can see certain realities of life of which he was aware.

 

Heman also knows what others think of him. They regard him as experiencing the judgement of God, that his life is going to be brought to an end by God (vv. 4-5). Heman acknowledged that God was the cause of what had taken place, that he was in such distress because he was overwhelmed by divine anger (vv. 6-7). Normally, people can expect sympathy when they are in trouble. But God has prevented Heman’s friends from doing so. Instead they are appalled at what has happened to him (v. 8). The fact is, says Heman, God is causing the distress. He seems blind and deaf concerning Heman’s agony despite his earnest, persistent prayers (v. 9).

 

Heman has considered Sheol and regards it as the place where the blessings of God are unknown (vv. 10-11). We may wonder why he does not consider heaven as a place of relief from sufferings. One reason may be lack of information (God had not revealed to people back them all that he has told us in the New Testament), or it could be that Heman was suffering from mental distress caused by his reaction to what he saw as negative providence.

 

What good indicators about Heman’s spiritual state come from this psalm? One is that he persists in prayer daily. Another is that he acknowledges the hand of God in his life, that he knows and trusts the God who is taking him through those experiences. Third, this was not a new situation but one that Heman had known about for a long time, yet he had been preserved as a believer. Fourth, he speaks candidly to God about his distress. Fifth, he realises that God had removed human comforters from him, but he still wants to draw near to God (vv. 13-18).

 

What is point of this psalm? It reminds us that sometimes life is unexplainable and unrelenting in its effects. But we should still pray to the covenant God.