Psalm 102 "A prayer of the afflicted..." At times we have experienced.. or will experience.. or are even now experiencing affliction.. and perhaps the words of this prayer ring really true to us;
"Hear my prayer, O Lord! And let my cry of help come to Thee. Do not hide Thy face from me in the day of my distress; incline Thine ear to me; in the day when I call answer me quickly."
The psalmist expresses the deep anguish of his suffering:
His days are "consumed".. finished..
His "bones have been scorched.. "
His "heart has been smitten.. "
Mentally, physically, emotionally.. he has come to an end of himself. He cannot eat. He cannot stop groaning. He is a shell of himself: "I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places. I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop." What a word picture he presents to us.. that we might feel the depth of his loneliness and pain.
Enemies reproach, deride, and curse him. We know the pain of being scorned or humiliated.. perhaps even cursed.. Peter writes, "Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Our great enemy is behind every such attack..
Yet, the psalmist has agony deeper than the betrayal of an enemy.. he feels the "indignation.. the wrath" of God Himself. "For Thou hast lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a lengthened shadow; and I wither away like grass."
It is all poured out.. all the groaning.. all the complaints.. all the grief... until he finally lifts his head and looks up... "But Thou, O Lord, dost abide forever; And Thy name to all generations."
The psalmist does not stay defeated.. but remembers his God who is victorious!
God will "arise and have compassion.. "
He will be gracious.
He will command the nations.
"He will appear in His glory"
He will regard the prayers of the needy.
He will be praised by future generations.
He looks down from heaven... and He gazes upon His creation.
He hears our groaning.
He sets us free from death.. from doom.. "That men may tell of the name of the Lord in Zion."
The One who founded the earth and the heavens.. will endure beyond their destruction. We are given a glimpse of a future beyond the life of the writer .. beyond us.. "Even when they perish.. and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing Thou wilt change them, and they will be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years will not come to an end."
There is a Kingdom to come.. where we will all gather to serve the Lord forever.. where we will praise His name.. and tell of how He delivered us.. how He strengthened us.. how He established us. Won't that be amazing!
Father in heaven, we know that even when we are suffering that You are at work.. When we are rejoicing.. You are at work. No matter what we face today.. may we turn our eyes to You.. giving thanks and praising Your name. May we look for the clouds to part.. for the trumpet to sound.. for the day when everything is changed and we will be with You forever. Prepare our hearts. Save those who are lost.. in despair and without the Truth that brings hope and deliverance. Open our eyes to those who need to hear.. and give us words to speak that will bring others to You. Thank You for hearing us when we pray. May Your name be glorified in all the earth! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment