Psalm Chapter 102
In Times of Affliction
Psalm 102 is likely to have been written during the Babylonian exile. The writer is in great affliction and calls out to the Lord, saying “My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread(v4)” and, “My enemies reproach me all day long; Those who deride me swear an oath against me (v8)”.
Have we experienced such affliction before? We do know that in the future we will experience great tribulation (Matt 24:21-22). What can we learn from this psalm?
Firstly, the psalmist did not lose faith in God but called out desperately to God.
“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.”
Psalms 102:1-2 NKJV
Secondly, the psalmist took pleasure in the stones and dust of Zion.
“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.”
Psalms 102:13-14 NKJV
This was one reason why God had mercy on them. Even though Jerusalem was in ruins, the servants of God took pleasure in its stones and dust! Stones and dust are worthless things that people do not consider. But here the psalmist embraced the ruins of Zion. He says with faith that God will rebuild Zion and will listen to all these prayers for Jerusalem.
As servants, sometimes when we look at the church we may be discouraged and feel the church is in a state of ruins and are hoping for revival. Perhaps this may be even more so in times of tribulation. And when we think of Haggai 2:9 saying the glory of the latter temple will be greater than that of the former, we may lose hope and walk away.
But a faithful servant of God sees the stones and dust and embraces them. If we can hold these unsightly things in our heart and keep them in prayer, God will bring these things to revival. Let us have faith in the words of God. Though it may not seem like it, one day the Lord will truly revive the church. After all, In His time God moved the heart of a foreign king to allow the people to rebuild the temple.
Finally, in affliction, the psalmist humbled himself before God and did not forget His nature.
“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.”
Psalms 102:11-13 NKJV
When we go through sufferings, let us not forget who God is. He is God Almighty who will endure forever. Even in punishment, He will have mercy on His people. He will not despise the prayers of the afflicted and He will make all things beautiful in His time (Eccl 3:11).
When we understand His nature, we will realize only God matters in the eternal perspective. The heavens and the earth will all pass away in a twinkling of an eye, but God will endure forever (v26). But if in this temporal space and time we can come to know our Creator, then we have found meaning to our existence.
Therefore, whatever circumstances we face, let us pray “Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, I surrender myself to your control, for you are my Maker and Master. Remind me that life is temporal and help me to see life every day from your eternal perspective.”