11 Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? 12 Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? 13 But I cry to you for help, O LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. 14 Why, O LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? 15 From my youth I have been afflicted and close to death; I have suffered your terrors and am in despair. 16 Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. 17 All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. 18 You have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.

This Psalm stands alone as a song of total despondency with no ray of hope or relief offered, even at the end. It is said to be a song of sorrow that was used to mourn sickness from which there was no hope of recovery or other times of great affliction. There are times in this life that probably each of us will face that we know there is not relief in a physical sense. It is during these times that we tend to become despondent. Why do good people die young or suffer so much with no hope of recovery? Why do so many bad things happen to those who are trying to serve God?

It is altogether normal and there is nothing bad about this reaction to impending death or suffering with no possible relief or other tragic life situations so long as it does not stop here. Why should good people die? After all, God cannot be praised from the grave. We do cry for help and cannot see God’s answer.

Yet, as some scholars have suggested, this Psalm should be coupled with the next. It begins: I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. No matter what we face and no matter how “down in the dumps” we may become, we can know with complete assurance, that God is near us and he knows our every need and he will answer our prayer. We cannot answer with any certainty all of the “whys” these things happen. It may be for many different reasons but “why” don’t really matter. What really matters is what we do with it. We can either choose to let it make our faith stronger or we can let it destroy us. We must sing of the Lord’s great love forever.

O God, please be with those who are hurting and who are suffering and despondent because of things totally beyond their control. Help them not to be overcome with grief but to look to you in faith. Give them your peace that is beyond understanding. Give them a clear vision of heaven and your glory so they can know hope in time of hopelessness. Use me to serve them, comfort them and to give them strength. Forgive me when my faith is weak. Show your love thru me to those around me today. In Jesus’ name.