Translation: ESV
O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.
Crying out to God even in unresolved suffering is itself an expression of faith.
▸This is one of the darkest lament psalms in the Bible.
This is one of the darkest lament psalms in the Bible. What makes this psalm unique is that it concludes in darkness without comfort or assurance to the very end. Nevertheless, the beginning is calling God 'O LORD, God of my salvation' and crying out day and night.
For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
Even believers can experience extreme suffering that feels like being near Sheol, and this experience can also be brought before God.
▸The expression of being near Sheol (the realm of the dead) describes extreme crisis.
But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
Praying every morning even when it seems there is no answer is the ongoing expression of faith.
▸In verse 13, the resolve not to give up and to pray every morning appears.
You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.
Unresolved darkness can be expressed before God, and God hears even this prayer from the darkness.
▸This psalm concludes in darkness.