How do you handle suffering in life? What happens when the pain is physical, emotional as well as social? Psalm 88 is the psalm of someone who is suffering. It is quite possible that he is suffering from a terminal illness. In addition to physical pain, he also feels isolated and shunned by his friends. Somehow, in the midst of such suffering, he is able to come before God in prayer.

First, he praises God as the God of "my salvation". He then pours out his heart to God. In his own words he honestly describes the pain, the turmoil in his soul, the loss of his friends and the feelings of abandonment. He stretches out his hands to God and asks for what he desires. He asks God to hear him.

Psalm 88 does not end with a solution. God does not remove all the psalmist's problems in a flash. So why would someone pray like this?

When we turn to God in our time of need, this is already an act of faith. When we are able to praise God or express our suffering, frustration and confusion to the Lord, there is something sacred about this. The objective situation outside may not change, but something inside of us changes. When we turn to the Lord in our suffering, we open ourselves more fully to God's grace.