God’s Renewing Word of Prayer

Introduction

Psalm 88: Today’s reading is an individual lament of someone who is suffering and appealing to God for help. In many instances, complaints in psalms of lament are often balanced by expressions of trust in God, but here the psalm concludes with the writer expressing being abandoned and left in darkness.

Scripture Reading

A Cry for Help

1Lord God, my savior, I cry out all day,

and at night I come before you.

2Hear my prayer;

listen to my cry for help!

3So many troubles have fallen on me

that I am close to death.

4I am like all others who are about to die;

all my strength is gone.

5I am abandoned among the dead;

I am like the slain lying in their graves,

those you have forgotten completely,

who are beyond your help.

6You have thrown me into the depths of the tomb,

into the darkest and deepest pit.

7Your anger lies heavy on me,

and I am crushed beneath its waves.

8You have caused my friends to abandon me;

you have made me repulsive to them.

I am closed in and cannot escape;

9my eyes are weak from suffering.

Lord, every day I call to you

and lift my hands to you in prayer.

10Do you perform miracles for the dead?

Do they rise up and praise you?

11Is your constant love spoken of in the grave

or your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

12Are your miracles seen in that place of darkness

or your goodness in the land of the forgotten?

13Lord, I call to you for help;

every morning I pray to you.

14Why do you reject me, Lord?

Why do you turn away from me?

15Ever since I was young, I have suffered and been near death;

I am worn out from the burden of your punishments.

16Your furious anger crushes me;

your terrible attacks destroy me.

17All day long they surround me like a flood;

they close in on me from every side.

18You have made even my closest friends abandon me,

and darkness is my only companion.

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 88:9b

LORD, every day I call to you and lift my hands to you in prayer.

Reflect

How would you describe the plight of the writer of this psalm? What causes the writer to feel abandoned? To whom or where do you turn when you are in need of help?

Pray

Lord God, every day I come to you in prayer and call upon your holy name. Help me today and hear my cries for ____________________. I know you hear my prayers and will never abandon me. Amen.

And now, join us in praising God for Bible distribution among Central American youth who find themselves trapped between extreme poverty and gang recruiters. Holy God, your Spirit is on the move! Courageous missionaries in Central America are proclaiming the good news of the gospel in the region’s most dangerous prisons. Your Word is raising prisoners from death to life and equipping them to confront the spiritual battles they face. Prisoners are surrendering their lives to Christ, renouncing their gang membership, and learning that your grace is for everyone, even gang members. Amen.

Tomorrow’s Reading

Psalm 90: A psalm affirming that God is eternal.