“O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles…” (Psa. 88:1-3) This psalm AMY is a Song, yet a remarkably sad song, and is often regarded as the saddest psalm in the entire collection. The identity of the singer, Heman the Ezrahite of this dark song helps us to understand it. It came from a wise, talented, accomplished, and blessed man. “I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength…You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves.” (Psa. 88:4’ 6-8) In this Psalm, Heman makes a map of his life’s history, he puts down all the dark places through which he has traveled. He mentions his sins, his sorrows, his hopes (if he had any), his fears, his woes, and so on. Now, that is REAL PRAYER, laying out your case before the Lord.
“Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I WILL DELIVER YOU, and YOU SHALL GLORIFY ME.” (Psa. 50:15) “I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I WILL CALL UPON HIM AS LONG AS I LIVE.” (Psa. 116:1-2) Heman declares this to the Lord, like David, he sought God in the morning, “…to You I have cried out, O LORD, And IN THE MORNING my prayer comes before You.” (Psa. 88:13) “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up… Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And HE SHALL HEAR MY VOICE… I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For YOU HAVE BEEN MY DEFENSE And refuge in the day of my trouble.” (Psa. 5:3, 55:17, 59:16) Early, I come to you LORD, before the ordinary time of morning prayer, or before the dawning of the day, or the rising of the sun. My sense is, though I have so far received no answer to my prayers, yet I will NOT GIVE UP PRAYING AMY or hoping for an answer.
-Bill Stockham