Psalms 102:1-17
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
And let my cry come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke,
And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake,
And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
And mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
And I wither away like grass.
12 But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
For the time to favor her,
Yes, the set time, has come.
14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
And show favor to her dust.
15 So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For the LORD shall build up Zion;
He shall appear in His glory.
17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
And shall not despise their prayer.
The first half of this psalm is a prayer of complaint in the midst of overwhelming suffering and affliction. He pleads with God to hear because he suffers so much, and expects an answer of relief so longed for. He prays for the LORD to not turn from him, but toward him in hearing his heart poured out, just as we do in our own prayers when needing relief. The psalmist asks to be heard very soon, probably because it is taking too long for him to endure the afflictions any longer. The suffering eats away at each day, making his life appear as a vapor of smoke fading away in the winds of adversity. His heart is so faint that it beats as weak as withered grass, dried up and without much life left. He even forgets to eat because of the overwhelming weariness and pain which saps his appetite. He groans through the night as one of its creatures, unable to find sleep or rest as his sworn enemies come ever nearer, determined to overcome him. The picture is of earring ashes of no nutritional value, unfulfilling and leading only to weeping in despair. It is as if God Himself had cast him aside in angry displeasure because he did not measure up to His standards. He was fading away like a shadow through the day’s setting sun, and drying up as grass burned by heat and unwatered for relief. Such was his suffering and anguish of soul before the LORD. Yet he still remembered the unchanging eternal God who sees all these things, knowing His name is known and will continue to be known and trusted. God will therefore have the promised mercy to give His people in His time because they continued to hold on to the promise of His presence in the place of worship where He met with them and accepted their sacrifices for forgiveness and atonement. These promises in turn were a testimony to the nations who did not know Him, engendering fear of the LORD and giving Him all the glory due to His name as demonstrated in His promises to His chosen people. God would build His people and the holy city of His worship where He would show His glory and hear their prayers, answering the prayers of those humble enough to know their neediness (Matthew 5:3, Luke 6:20). Do we know our poor state without His grace which acknowledges our desperate need of grace and mercy to help in times of need (Hebrews 4:16)? We can pray in absolute trust, regardless of the adversity of our circumstances. That eternal love of God for His chosen people is the example and hope of the psalmist here for our edification and encouragement.
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