GOD DOES NOT OWE US AN ANSWER!

READ PSALM 88

NEVER QUESTION THE CHARACTER AND LOVE OF GOD!

Psalm 88:1-2
O LORD, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!

Even a quick read of this psalm causes us to immediately see that it is different from most other psalms. The psalmist is crying out to God and throughout his writing, he never shows any resolution to his great difficulty.

Psalm 88:15
Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.

The writer makes it clear that his problem has afflicted him from his youth. He has struggled to understand why God would not deliver him. His situation has caused his family and friends to shun him.

Psalm 88:8
You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;

It is possible that he is even contagious and therefore he is trapped in an overwhelming situation.

Psalm 88:3-5
For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.

He questions why God would continue to allow his trial to go on and on. Is God punishing him for some reason? He has no answer.

He has no answers and gives us no answers in this psalm.

Meditating on these words, it seems difficult to find comfort or hope in watching a trial that does not find resolution.

The writer here is crying out to God that his pain is leaving him without family and friends. He is losing his strength, cannot figure out why all this is happening, and cannot see any light at the horizon. Remember also that it was to be sung by the Israelites. I want you to notice how, inspired by God, he began this psalm.

The writer begins using the name Yahweh for God. In using this holy and most precious name for God, he was reminding himself and all those who would read it some very important qualities of God. God is holy; He is the creator and sustainer of all. He is sovereign over everyone and everything. At His presence man can only worship in total humility.

Dear friends, it is possible that you are going through trials that have no apparent reason or explanation. You have been asking God to deliver you for a long time. When waiting is hard to accept and you feel so alone, you are in danger of starting to question the character of God. But whatever the situation you might find yourself in, God never stops being perfectly holy and good.

The writer remembers that God is the One who has saved him and is his only hope for the future.

As you go endure trials, never lose sight of your Savior. You have trusted Him for your eternal destiny, and you must trust Him for your daily trials, no matter how hard they may be.

I think this psalm clarifies some important concepts. God does not owe us an explanation for our trials, and we cannot expect that He will always deliver us. When this happens, we must not question His character or His motives. He continues to be our Savior.

We don’t always need to have answers or provide answers for others, but we must always trust the God of our salvation.