Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

A reflection on Psalm 88

by

Out of my deep sorrows came the terrible silence,
Everywhere I searched for life I came up empty,
Despising my weakness I wanted nothing to do with life,
I wallowed in a cesspool of numbness,
Thinking constant thoughts of woe is me.

I thought I was lost forever,
When darkness has no ray of light at the end,
My God path lost forever in a maze of false possibilities,
In my every waking moment fear clutched my stomach,
Waking to the retch of the lies that thundered in my head.

I cried out to my God in the early morning,
All day I wondered if He would turn up,
I hoped for love’s great reversal,
To speak life into near death,
My hope that today life will speak again,
Light is most needed when darkness is everywhere,
Salvation’s hope is coming closer each day.

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In the Psalms I have discovered firsthand some of the rawness and pain experienced by the Psalmist. This ebook is the first 40 Psalms that I have put in my own words. They are a reflection of what was written by the original writer and then brought to our world today. They reflect many of the themes that are common to discouraged, depressed, anxious, fearful people. At times some or all of these things have been true for me. I have used some of these experience and cried out with the Psalmist in my writing.

One definition of found poetry is, “it’s the literary version of a collage”. In finding these Psalms I have gathered together my emotions, feelings and pain and sought to “find” my understanding of what David was saying. It’s the worst possible translation methodology but it’s been a great personal re-discovery of God.

The 40 day journey is a chance to take some time out and listen to God’s voice. God’s praise will last for eternity, we have the great privilege to begin that praise now.

You can download the ebook here: Click here