Epiphany 2: Reflection on Psalm 102
1Hear my prayer, O LORD;
let my cry come to you!
2 Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!
Notice at once Psalm 102 opens with an urgent cry for help. The psalmist is in a dire situation, he is utterly overwhelmed, and needs God’s immediate help. Importance: at once Psalm 102 reminds us that real trouble comes even to the faithful because we live in a fallen world. In other words, the believer is not merely susceptible to inconveniences. Instead, from time to time the believer may experience actual crisis. However, the second thing that Psalm 102 shows us is that God is in control, God has not forsaken us, and therefore prayer is always to be our first and ongoing response to trouble. Next, notice the nature of the psalmist’s trouble.
3 For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is struck down like grass and has withered;
I forget to eat my bread.
First, notice the psalmist is consumed (physically and emotionally) by his trouble. His strength of days is sapped; his heart is withered; in fact, the psalmist is so overcome with grief that he has no appetite and thus forgets to eat
5 Because of my loud groaning
my bones cling to my flesh.
6 I am like a desert owl of the wilderness,
like an owl of the waste places;
7 I lie awake;
I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
Next, notice the psalmist’s grief has socially isolated him. There is no one who can help him. No one knows what to do. Therefore, his situation makes them uncomfortable and so people avoid him. Not only that he is so overcome with sorrow and worry that he cannot sleep.
8 All the day my enemies taunt me;
those who deride me use my name for a curse.
Next, notice to make matters worse, his enemies use his misfortune to cast derisions at him. They run his name down and tell everyone that he is getting what he deserved. Notice the result: instead of compassion, he is met with scorn.
9 For I eat ashes like bread
and mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger;
for you have taken me up and thrown me down.
11 My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass.
Finally, notice the cause of the psalmist’s trouble: the psalmist says he is withering like grass because God has literally body slammed him. Why? First, notice there is no mention of sin. We don’t hear anything like we hear in Psalm 32:3 where the psalmist says, “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. Simply put, the psalmist is not being disciplined by God for sin (not all the suffering you face has its origins in a moral misdeed). Next, notice there is no bewilderment. We don’t find the psalmist asking why. Instead, the psalmist seems to understand the reason for his situation (but knowing doesn’t make the trouble any less arduous). So what is the problem? What has happened? Notice in verses 13-14 we see the dust and rubble of Jerusalem. In other words, psalm 102 takes place in the aftermath of Babylon’s destruction of the city. Not only that, the psalmist is one of the faithful (we find him praying to God not turning to idols). As such, the psalmist would have known God’s displeasure with His people (he understands the situation)FN#1. However, maybe the psalmist thought that God would relent and it would never come to this. Maybe he thought that because he is one of the faithful God would somehow shield from any real hardship. Regardless, a big part of his grief is the intense theological shock that God has let this happen. In addition to that, there is the immense hardship that this situation has brought. Simply put, the psalmist’s world and worldview have been completely shattered. Inside and out he is in a world with no means to navigate.
12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever;
you are remembered throughout all generations.
Next, notice the basis of the psalmist’s prayers and the single source of his confidence amid tragedy. Notice the first thing that the psalmist remembers is God’s unchanging Lordship. In other words, the psalmist remembers that God’s Lordship and reign are not challenged or altered by the calamities of this world. Not only that, the psalmist also remembers that God’s commitment and faithfulness to His people are not altered by the situations we face (the psalmist says that God will be worshiped and remembered throughout all generations- His people will endure).
13 You will arise and have pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold her stones dear
and have pity on her dust. FN#2
15 Nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion;
He will appear in his glory;
Second, the psalmist remembers God’s promise. Notice the psalmist remembers that God has promised to preserve a remnant and that after the destruction God will raise up a single shepherd from the house of David (the Messiah) who will bring the light of salvation to the nations. Notice then the line of reasoning here: the psalmist says, the destruction part is done and so now it is time for God’s mercy, promise, and plan for His people to commence/resume.
17 he regards the prayer of the destitute
and does not despise their prayer.
Finally, the psalmist remembers the character of the Lord: the psalmist knows that it is the Lord’s property always to have mercy. In fact, every detail of God’s promise for the future is based on His unwavering character and goodness. Simply put, psalm 102 reminds me that in the face of tragedy it is God’s Lordship, His unshakable commitment to His people, and the goodness of His character that provide the bedrock and confidence of my prayers.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die FN#3,
21 that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
and in Jerusalem his praise,— Notice the occasion
22 when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
Notice: God intends this psalm for you and me. Why? First, the future generations of believers are proof that God did not abandon His people nor did tragedy derail His plan of salvation. Second, this psalm is intended for you because the same faithfulness and assurance are yours in the midst of whatever you face. God is with you and He reigns over the very details of what you face.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; FN#4
he has shortened my days.
24 “O my God,” I say, “take me not away
in the midst of my days—
you whose years endure
throughout all generations!”
Notice at once: the psalmist knows his theology. He knows the certain hope that undergirds every detail of what he faces. He knows that God will send the messiah and that the earth will be filled with His glory. However, that day has not yet arrived. Therefore, the psalmist cries out for God to show him mercy in the midst of all he faces. Importance: the palmist’s prayer demonstrates the vital bridge between the certain hope of tomorrow and the urgent need of today. Notice then, the dust of tragedy has clouded the psalmist’s sight. He can’t see the goodness, or purpose, or meaning. Therefore, he looks beyond the immediate situation to God’s promises concerning the future. Why? There God’s goodness, purpose, and plan are seen clearly in their fullness. Not only that, it is this very same God and this very same goodness, and this very same plan that are at work even now unfolding that future through the details of today.
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
their offspring shall be established before you.
Everything around us, all that we count most certain and all that we are so used to seeing, is transient. It will pass away. But God and His commitment to His people do not change. And it is this certainty that is the bridge for our prayers today.
Bottom line: psalm 102 teaches us that prayer is to be our first and continuous response to every situation we face. God’s lordship, His goodness, and His commitment to you do not change. Therefore, we are to pray today in light of the certainty of tomorrow. Why? Because the same God, the same plan, and the same mercy that will secure the future are already at work and are already yours today.
Footnotes
1] While God is an ever present help in trouble, He does not insolate His people of the problems faced by the world. Instead, God always has a witness on His earth. As such, He sends us forth to share the troubles of the world as translators. That is, He sends us forth to translate the language of shared suffering into the hope and offer of the Gospel. In fact as we move forward through this psalm notice this is exactly what the psalmist does
2] Notice the picture of Zion: it is not of the glorious temple or of the majestic walls. Instead, it is of disjointed stones and the rubble and dust of ruin. Jerusalem is in distress and is in urgent need for God’s pity (v 13). And yet even the ruins are precious to the faithful. Why? They trust God and cherish His purpose for His people.
3] Notice the Epiphany theme running throughout this psalm. As we celebrate God manifesting His salvation to the Gentiles we are living the very fulfillment Psalm 102 promises. God is a God who keeps His word. Notice then verse 15, for example, proclaims:
15 Nations will fear the name of the LORD,
and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory.
Not only that compare the promise in verse 21 with its fulfillment n the Gospel:
21 the LORD looked at the earth 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die,
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are overwhelmed with trouble.
4] Notice at once the abrupt turn. We have just been praising God for His plan for His people and then without warning we are back to the sorrows of the day. I think this is one of the things that makes psalm 102 unique and so important for us to understand. You see psalm 102 reminds us that scripture never allows us to use the certainty of the future as an escape from the present; nor does Scripture ever use the future God promises as the grounds to callously dismiss the very real struggles we face today (Scripture never says everything works out in the end so stop whining about your current troubles. They are not that bad). Instead, throughout Scripture God always intends his promises about the future to inform and direct His people amid the circumstances they face. A good example of this is found in II Peter:
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness