The Lord’s Eternal Love
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. 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.
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
My enemies reproach me all day long; those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass.
But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come. For Your servants take pleasure in her stones, and show favor to her dust. So the nations shall fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of the earth Your glory.
For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven the Lord viewed the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death, to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days. I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations. Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. The children of Your servants will continue,
and their descendants will be established before You.”
“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come to You. 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.” A sign from an earlier era reads “God, I want patience, and I want it RIGHT NOW!!” As we near the end of the year, bills are piling up, family responsibilities are multiplying, and we are stressed. We really need/want God to answer our prayers ASAP, forgetting that God’s ASAP and ours might not be on the same schedule.
“For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned like a hearth. My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread. Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin. I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.” We can’t be certain what has happened to the writer, but obviously he is depressed and struggling. Everything looks bleak and the writer feels completely isolated, “like a sparrow alone on the housetop,” even though he might be surrounded by other people. Sometimes you can be incredibly lonely in the midst of a crowd.
“My enemies reproach me all day long; those who deride me swear an oath against me. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away. My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass.” When things are going badly, we might wonder if God has decided to hate us. It’s easy to forget God’s magnificent love when we are under spiritual attack.
“But You, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion; for the time to favor her, yes, the set time, has come…For the Lord shall build up Zion; He shall appear in His glory. He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer. This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord…But You are the same, and Your years will have no end. The children of Your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before You.”
As the psalmist fights against his depression, he reminds himself of who God truly is and of His great and everlasting promises. Even in the midst of depression, the psalmist persists in praising God. By these efforts, the writer is gradually removing himself from the spiritual pit into which he has fallen.
APPLICATION: One of the great things about the psalms is that they portray the real situation of human existence. While some writers are exuberantly praising God, others are demanding to know why God is persecuting them. This psalm describes a believer in the throes of severe depression, facing opposition, criticism, and perhaps even physical illness. But the writer insists on believing in the goodness of God, even in the face of his suffering.
Through Facebook, I follow the struggles of an American missionary couple working in Kiev, Ukraine. This year these folks have faced physical illnesses as well as shortages of food, money, etc., not to mention the continued Russian attacks on their city. Their example is inspiring because they continue to trust God even in the midst of all these threats.
Being a believer does not insulate anybody from suffering, as the couple in Ukraine illustrate. But we can continue to trust that God is good and that He does well and keeps His promises. Today you may feel completely overwhelmed but remember that God still loves you and that He can deliver you. Look around you and find small positive things for which you can praise God. The more you praise, the better you will feel and the more praiseworthy things you will discover.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, the end of the year is hurtling toward us and we are feeling stressed out. Help us to remember that You are the Source of our strength and that You can guide us even when we feel trapped with no way out. Help us to praise You even when we don’t feel like it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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