Psalm 88:1-18

Desperation is not something that we are comfortable with a child of God having to face.  In our minds God would or should never allow one of His children to reach the point of desperation, but that seems to be exactly what this Psalm expresses.  The author is experiencing circumstances that are akin to death and is facing them all alone.  There seems to be nobody that can help or rescue as all others have abandoned.  There are times that we may feel desperate.  God may allow us to face trials that go far beyond what we expect.  In the midst of those trials we tend to look for help from our friends and our family, but there are times when even they may turn away from us.  The only thing we can do in that desperate and alone condition is to cry out to the Lord.  It may seem that He is distant or even absent but we must not turn from Him.  We must turn to Him and continually place ourselves in His hands.  He is worthy of our trust no matter how desperate things may become.

THE DESPERATION OF DEATH: We all fear death to a certain extent.  We all possess an instinct that strives to survive even when we are assured of heaven after death, we tend to fear that which is unknown.  Death is a passing from that which is known to that which we know very little.  The experience of death itself can be painful and all of would like to avoid it if possible.  The prospect of being raptured sounds a lot more pleasant than death.  This Psalm describes the desperation of someone who feels like he is dying.  In his desperation he cries out to the Lord to hear him and help him but it seems that God remains distant from Him.  His strength is gone and in his mind he is already dead.  It seems that this is a prolonged and serious illness that may have been brought on by some sort sin because it seems to be associated with the wrath of God.  The agony of death is complicated even more by sense of abandonment from God or the wrath of God.  What a terrible feeling!  Even in this state, the only hope and resource available to man is to cry out to our loving and merciful God. 

THE DESPERATION OF DESERTION: The only thing worse than facing death is facing death alone.  The desperation of this man is multiplied by the fact that all of his friends have turned away from him.  They are horrified, embarrassed and no longer want to be associated with this man so they shun him.  It seems that even his wife has turned from him and left him to suffer alone.  All of his companions have abandoned him in darkness.  The author believes that God has brought all of this down on him.  He lives in constant anticipation of death and suffers all by himself.  His only hope is to cry out to God and he does so every day.  He pleads with the Lord night and day but does not seem to hear any answer from the Lord.  It feels like God too has left him alone to die.  The consequences of sin are great and can lead us to the point of desperation.  Of course the preferable thing would be to avoid this situation all together.  However, in this situation, the best alternative is to cry out to the Lord and praise His name in the midst of the pain.  Our commitment to praise and worship the Lord cannot be based on the pleasantness of our circumstance.  No matter how desperate we become and how distant God may seem, we must cry out to him with praise and prayer.