psalmist utters the word darkness. While Psalm 88 is not a pleasant chapter of the Bible, we may be grateful for its inclusion, lest we believe that true faith can never wrestle in such spiritual depression. James Boice writes that Psalm 88 “reminds us that life is filled with trouble, even to the point of despair, even for mature believers.”3 This psalm is the only known contribution from Heman the Ezrahite, who is mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31 as a wise man and poet in or before the time of King Solomon.