The God of Zion

 Psalm 87:1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2     the Lord loves the gates of Zion
    more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
3 Glorious things of you are spoken,
    O city of God. Selah

Psalm 88: 13 But I, O Lord, cry to you;
    in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away?
    Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up,
    I suffer your terrors; I am helpless.
16 Your wrath has swept over me;
    your dreadful assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long;
    they close in on me together.
18 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me;
    my companions have become darkness.

Psalm 87 is a psalm of corporate praise, lift up Zion as the City of God. the rest of the psalm goes on to proclaim that it is the city of cities, because God's presence is there and everybody knows it. the opening words of the next psalm immediately take us back.  Noted in the psalm title is the name Heman, mentioned in I Chronicles 6 as one appointed by David to lead in worship. Asaph, who is listed in many psalm titles, was assistant to Heman. This Psalm is filled with darkness and discouragement. It is a personal cry of being all alone - not in the temple, the glory of Zion, but in a fearful place, with no one there to support him.  The last phrase is literally "darkness is my companion." What agony there is when we feel like God is not with us.  There is nothing this man who led worship in Zion wanted more.