God Speaks
A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 On the holy mountain
stands the city founded by the Lord.
2 He loves the city of Jerusalem
more than any other city in Israel.
3 O city of God,
what glorious things are said of you! Interlude
4 I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me—
also Philistia and Tyre, and even distant Ethiopia.
They have all become citizens of Jerusalem!
5 Regarding Jerusalem it will be said,
“Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”
And the Most High will personally bless this city.
6 When the Lord registers the nations, he will say,
“They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.” Interlude
7 The people will play flutes and sing,
“The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. A song to be sung to the tune “The Suffering of Affliction.” A psalm of Heman the Ezrahite.
1 O Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out to you by day.
I come to you at night.
2 Now hear my prayer;
listen to my cry.
3 For my life is full of troubles,
and death draws near.
4 I am as good as dead,
like a strong man with no strength left.
5 They have left me among the dead,
and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
cut off from your care.
6 You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
into the darkest depths.
7 Your anger weighs me down;
with wave after wave you have engulfed me. Interlude
8 You have driven my friends away
by making me repulsive to them.
I am in a trap with no way of escape.
9 My eyes are blinded by my tears.
Each day I beg for your help, O Lord;
I lift my hands to you for mercy.
10 Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude
11 Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love?
Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?
13 O Lord, I cry out to you.
I will keep on pleading day by day.
14 O Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you turn your face from me?
15 I have been sick and close to death since my youth.
I stand helpless and desperate before your terrors.
16 Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
Your terrors have paralyzed me.
17 They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
They have engulfed me completely.
18 You have taken away my companions and loved ones.
Darkness is my closest friend.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection
The author of this blog considers that the city of Zion mentioned in Psalm 87 is not the city of Jerusalem in David’s day or even in Jesus’ day but the great city depicted in Revelation 21. Only those whose names are registered in the Lamb’s book of life are allowed to live there. In their physical lives they may have lived in Rahab, Babylonia, Philistia or Ethiopia or their 21st century equivalents. Their nations, then as now, may be hostile to the Good News of peace with the LORD God through the Lord Jesus Christ. But, if they by faith receive all that Jesus Christ is and has done for them, they are born again. Their “new birth” certificates are registered in the Lamb’s book of life kept in Zion.
Psalm 88 is one of the gloomiest passages in the whole Bible. It even ends with a sense of complete abandonment. However, there are glimmers of hope even here. First, the psalmist is crying out to the LORD, the only One who truly knows and understands our deepest thoughts and feelings. Second, because He was fully human, Jesus knows by experience what it means to face abandonment and the fear of death. Hallelujah, He conquered both on our behalf. The author of this blog has come to rely on a thought that occurred while facing cancer, “I refuse to live in fear. I might visit it once in a while, but, because of all Jesus has done for me, I don’t have to stay there.”
Prayer
Dear Jesus, Lamb of God, thank You for dying to pay the penalty for all my sin. Thank You that, because I have placed my faith in You, my name is written in Your book of life. Holy Spirit, You give me the ability to live this physical life Your way, and I will get to live with You, Father, Son and Spirit, for eternity in the new earth and/or the new Jerusalem (Zion). LORD God, help me to remember Psalm 88 when I encounter someone (even myself at times) who feels as despairing as the psalmist. Help me to graciously and tenderly point them to Jesus who has also faced abandonment and fear of death on their behalf. May I have the privilege of seeing You comforting and strengthening them through me. For Your glory, LORD. AMEN
Action
(Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
I will firmly but gently talk with someone to make sure that their name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.
I will share this understanding of Psalm 88 with a friend who is in deep despair, perhaps considering ending their life. My purpose is to show them that God really does understand, and that He cares deeply for them.
Share
I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.