Psalm 88 is a prayer to God for help, a desperate plea, “For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.” It’s interesting that we read this prayer on the same day we read Exodus 30, a description of the altar of incense. Incense, representing prayer, was to be burned morning and evening, “a regular incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations”.
The author of Psalm 88 prays regularly too, “Every day I call upon you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you”. In this particular prayer the Psalmist feels abandoned by God, “O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?” Yet he doesn’t give up hope, he still cries to God in prayer for help, confident that even in this desperate hour God will hear the prayer.
Psalms like this are one reason I love this book, the raw emotion of this pleading prayer reminds us that it’s ok to struggle in life, that there are times when even the strongest will feel helpless. We are reminded not to give up, to turn to God for help, confident that He is in control.