In this first psalm of disorientation, Jed explores what some have labeled “the darkest psalm,” asking what we do with a psalm where God appears not to answer. Jed suggests that the silence of God in Psalm 88 isn’t met with demands for explanation, but with a rich combination of patient waiting and impatient demand. In darkness, we are most mindful, as was the psalmist, of our need for God. But we are left, as was the psalmist, waiting, praying more intensely but mostly without resolution. In such circumstances it is an act of faith to continue praying. And this is the gift of Psalm 88 to a community of faith: a language for those times God seems most absent; a reminder to continue speaking.
We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of all the lands that now sustain us all. They are stewards on behalf of our Almighty Creator and we promise to walk softly and gently on these lands. We would also like to pay our respects to the Elders past, present and emerging.
