| Abstract
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Psalm 88 is unrelentingly dark; it is the only one of the lament psalms that does not turn at some point to praise. How are we to read it? First, primarily, we should read it christologically—as witness to the experience of Christ. Read in this way, the Psalms give us insight into the passion narrative. Second, we should ask how the text matters for us as Pentecostals. It calls us away from triumphalism, requiring us to take seriously the experience of god-forsakenness, and forcing us to reimagine our core beliefs and practices. Psalm 88 is unrelentingly dark; it is the only one of the lament psalms that does not turn at some point to praise. How are we to read it? First, primarily, we should read it christologically—as witness to the experience of Christ. Read in this way, the Psalms give us insight into the passion narrative. Second, we should ask how the text matters for us as Pentecostals. It calls us away from triumphalism, requiring us to take seriously the experience of god-forsakenness, and forcing us to reimagine our core beliefs and practices.
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