This psalm ends on a profoundly sad note. The psalmist appears quite sorrowful, frustrated, and helpless. People are so accustomed to hearing him complain about his ‘enemies,’ that when he does not, his silence becomes noticeable. The complaint is directed toward God, but what hope remains if God is an enemy? In this psalm, there is no glimmer of light. It is a cry in the dark. The inhuman enemy is like a sickness in lonely old age: only God, whose messenger it is, can make the message bearable.
Knowing Christ might seem to prevent us from falling into despair. However, there are days when heaven is closed to us, just as it was for Jesus in his agony.
The ‘why?’ of the psalm is heard on the cross (cf. Mt 27:46). The answer will come at dawn (cf. 1 P 3:18; 1 Cor 15:54). This plea of a dying person can be sung by all who are dying or live in God’s silence. Let us not forget that, at dawn, our plea will rise to meet God.