Psalm 88

Images of Jerusalem again flooded my mind as I read Psalm 88 this morning.

The Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu is a Roman Catholic church located on the eastern slope of Mount Zion, just outside the walls of Old Jerusalem. This is believed to be the site of the house of the High Priest, Caiaphas, where Jesus was taken after his arrest. It is also the place where Peter denied Jesus. (Gallicantu in Latin means "rooster crows.") Adjacent to the church there is a dungeon where a deep pit was hewed into the rock. It is believed this may the pit where Jesus was kept overnight. When we visited the site our group gathered in the darkness of the pit, and I read Psalm 88:

“You have thrown me into the lowest pit,

    into the darkest depths.

Your anger weighs me down;

    with wave after wave you have engulfed me.”

(V. 6-7)

There are no hallelujahs at the end of this psalm. This is a prayer of one who is in great despair. In Mark’s Gospel, the only words spoken by Jesus from the cross were “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34) In this fallen world, people face sickness and tragedies every day. Within us there is a longing for closure, vindication and justice. For some people, their longing will not be satisfied this side of the grave.

But, the psalmist begins his prayer with, “O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you . . .” And, Jesus’ first words on the cross were, “My God, my God.” These salutations evidence a faith that justice denied in life, will be received beyond the grave.

In the midst of suffering and loneliness the followers of Christ can remember that our Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Because of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus we can rest in the assurance,

“But he was wounded for our transgressions,

   crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the punishment that made us whole,

   and by his bruises we are healed.”

                                                                                (Isaiah 53:5 NRSV)

Because of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, we are never without our hallelujahs.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading of the Psalms

 attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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Reading for July 29, 2012          Psalm 89