Psalm 88:17
“They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.”
KJV
Read in Psalm 88Meaning
The flood image conveys totalizing distress. The suffering is not a passing moment in the speaker’s perception; it feels constant and inescapable.
Persistent prayer without resolution
The psalmist keeps crying to God while describing rejection, lifelong affliction, terror, and the loss of companions.
Read carefully
Psalm 88 preserves engulfing distress within Scripture itself.
Reflection
Take the totalizing experience seriously and remain present without simplistic reassurance.