The Lord Will

Psalm 88:5

Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

KJV

Read in Psalm 88

Meaning

This is lament language from the edge of death. The verse voices perceived abandonment and exclusion; it should not be turned into a precise map of the afterlife or a verdict on another sufferer’s relationship with God.

Crying to God near the grave

The lament opens with relentless prayer and the sense that life is nearing death.

Read carefully

It is poetic lament expressing the speaker’s felt nearness to death and abandonment.

Reflection

Name isolation honestly and seek faithful companionship where possible.