This psalm is a lament of dark despair and gloom without any hope. It is from one who thinks he is on the edge of dying, and as he looks at death’s door before him, he is hopeless. Hopelessness leaves a person suffering in their soul and spirit. The physical suffering of the body generally leaves us with the hope of a recovery or cure. Old Testament believers didn’t have a clear understanding of life after death. “To be absent from the body and present with the Lord” gives us today a clear view of what happens when a child of God passes away. To most Old Testament saints, the future was obscure for the most part. Job said, “I know that my Redeemer liveth.” He was confident that in his flesh, he would see God, but what happens when a person dies seemed to be obscure to them. It seemed that from the perspective of this life, they thought they would be cut off from God for a time.
Consequently, in this saddest of all psalms, there are no expressions of hope, trust, or praise to God. His troubles had taken him to the place where he could take no more. He considered himself as good as dead. Sadly, he believed he was beyond help when he died, so in his desperate longing from his soul, he expected God to show some wonders, lovingkindness, faithfulness, and righteousness toward him, and it had not come as far as he was concerned. His trouble is so severe that he is near death. He counts himself among the dead.
Our expectations are sometimes based on what we want from our perspective and what we believe is the right thing for God to do for us. Like the one who wrote this psalm, we pray, “Let my prayer come before Thee,” and we know we are heard because we know God well enough. Like the writer, we, too, may feel like our life is drawing to an end, and we would rather stay here than go. How thankful we are for the written word of God that lets us see beyond death into the future and know that being “with the Lord” is a far greater blessing than we have ever had here on earth during our lifetime.
It is not wrong to ask the Lord why bad things happen to us. That is a normal reaction. When one is on the edge of death, it is also normal to cry out to God as we look ahead instead of looking back. The psalmist concluded that he was suffering because God was angry, so he left his case with the Lord because he didn’t know what else to do. It may be in our extremity that we finally come to the place where we are so tired of asking “why” that we leave our terrifying situation with our Lord. Usually, the best way to “cast our burdens upon the Lord” is to say aloud to Him what we know is our problem and then leave it alone.
When one feels forsaken by God and man and all they see ahead is darkness, we can understand why all the vitality of life is gone, and usually, all our acquaintances are gone as well. Most people are uneasy around suffering people and don’t know what to say, so they leave them alone. Like the writer, we call upon the Lord daily, then cry unto Him—and wait for something to change. "My prayer," his faith in God has not been lost.
The one ray of light in this psalm is the very first verse. “O Lord God of my salvation” indicates he knew his God but couldn’t understand life and why God, who controls everything, would allow such despair. He had real faith in the Lord, even though he was suffering and abandoned by his acquaintances. He calls daily to the Lord. He wants God to quickly show His wonders, loving-kindness, faithfulness, and righteousness. "Lord God of my salvation," his assurance of God's interest is not lost. His passion becomes more fervent. His question still is, "Why?" His conclusion is "the wrath of God," so he makes no further request but leaves his burden with the Lord.
When a person we know hits rock bottom, and depression and grief have taken them over, we should not leave them to feel that no one cares. We may not be able to do much for them, but we can assure them of our intercession and help to the best of our ability. Another person's feelings depend on what they think about and meditate on. Often, the best thing we can do is sit with them in silence. When the opportunity arises, read aloud some scriptures that apply to their situation, or even better, let them know what our Lord Jesus passed through, and may give them divine assurance that God is still in control. His love does not abandon His child, even in the saddest circumstances.