Have you ever felt like you were walking through what St. John described as “the dark night of the soul”?
On my 2nd sleepless night of the week, after what’s felt like a year of sleepless nights, I opened the Psalms to find some encouragement and landed on Psalm 88, which felt…appropriate.
You see, unlike the rest of the Psalms, Psalm 88 doesn’t end with hope. It just ends. And at first I was like, wait, what? Where’s the happy ending, the resolution, the answer, the hope. Is there a hidden part 2?! But no, it just ends.
And you know what, that was the message. Sometimes, things just…suck. Despite your best efforts, loss comes, your heart gets broken, someone will hurt you, you’ll lose what you thought was important, you won’t get closure, and there is no happy ending. No resolution at the end. Like Psalm 88, it just is.
And you know what, that’s OK. I kinda feel like God left this Psalm here unfinished for a reason.
First, to show us that we’re not alone.
Often times, when I go through a painful event, I jump on Google or social media to see how other people dealt with what I’m dealing with. Maybe not the best instinct, I wish I could say my first move was praying about it, and maybe one day I’ll get there, but I think there’s a really human need to know that you’re not alone. That someone else walked through this and made it through to the other side.
That’s what Psalm 88 feels like.
It’s easy to get frustrated when you read the rest of the Psalms and see the pattern: David prayed, and got his answer before the end of the chapter, whether it’s victory from His enemies or assurance of God’s hope. It’s easy to roll our eyes and say, “oh well, good for you David, not all of us were chosen by God to be king.”
Psalm 88 was written by Heman the Ezrahite, and is the only Psalm of his included in the Bible, so there’s no part 2, we don’t know if he got to the light at the end of his tunnel. As it stands, it’s a great reminder that someone else has walked through what we’re walking through: crying out to God in despair, feeling abandoned, questioning God’s presence, not knowing if the light was coming.
Second, to remind us that even in the darkest nights, He hears us.
This prayer wasn’t forgotten. He kept it in His word. God could’ve said, “woops, forgot that was in there, I don’t even remember who wrote that, this doesn’t fit my narrative.” But He didn’t. In a sea of promise, answered prayers and hope fulfilled, lays Psalm 88.
The Psalmist didn’t think God heard him, but He did. We can talk to Him. He’s here and He hears, even when we don’t feel it. You are not forgotten. The Psalmist refers to God here as Yahweh, the covenant keeping God. That’s who He is.
Even in despair, even in your questions, remind yourself of who God is. He keeps His covenant. He is worth your trust. He hears you.
Third, the Psalmist, didn’t know it yet, but years later, Jesus would pay the price, through His own dark night of the soul, and say the words, “It Is Finished”.
Jesus went through His own dark night of the soul. His friends abandoned him. The people that once laid palms under his feet, and chanted his name, now called for his death and celebrated his murder. The people He was sent to save, mocked him and jeered at him. In his agony, Jesus, who was one with God, cried “my God, why have you forsaken me.”
Did God really forsake Jesus? No. Some people think God turned His face away from him because He couldn’t look upon sin, but I don’t think that’s true, it’s not anywhere in Scripture at least. Jesus, knowing all this, still felt it in his despair. Jesus is well acquainted with our suffering because He felt it all.
There’s a little weird passage in Matthew during the crucifixion, that talks about how when Jesus died, tombs were opened and those inside were raised to life. And I can’t help but think that that was a little nod to the fact that it really is finished. Whether it’s here on earth, or in Heaven. God has the power to bring dead things to life to complete their story. So you see, it’s really not unfinished.
Nothing is incomplete in Him. He won the ultimate victory.
So yes, cry, grieve, do whatever you need to do. That’s OK.
But, hold on to this hope. Your story is not unfinished. Jesus is our hope and He said, “it is finished.”
If you’re walking through your own Psalm 88 season, where the hits just keep on coming, remember this, you are not alone. He hears your prayers. He is right there with you. You are seen, you are heard, and your story is safe in His hands.