I cry out to you

O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left. They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. 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. Psalm 88: 1-7 NLT

Although I have never been extremely ill so that I feared for my life, I can imagine this is what is happening to the psalmist here.

The psalmist cries out to God all day. The psalmist prays to God in the night. Troubles surround him. Death is near. In fact, the psalmist is as though one who is dead: he has no strength left, he lies like a corpse in a grave, he has been left among the dead.

Then the please turn from needing help and complaining to blaming. God is the one who has done this. God has forgotten him and cut him off. God has thrown him into the deepest, darkest hole. God is angry at him and God's anger overwhelms him.

When we are in trouble or suffering, it is easy to blame others, including God. Then we don't have to worry about the things we did wrong. We don't have to take responsibility for our own actions. We don't have to blame the disease or the doctor. We don't have to take it out on our broken relationships or job stress that have brought us to this point. It is easiest to blame God.

Some folks like to say stuff like, “It was God's will,” which is also blaming God while trying to get around becoming angry at God. But even then, the anger must be there.

What do you do when you feel abandoned by God or going through immense suffering? Do you blame God?

O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Amelia G. Sims