Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals. My heart is sick, withered like grass, and I have lost my appetite. Because of my groaning, I am reduced to skin and bones. I am like an owl in the desert, like a little owl in a far-off wilderness. I lie awake, lonely as a solitary bird on the roof. My enemies taunt me day after day. They mock and curse me. I eat ashes for food. My tears run down into my drink because of your anger and wrath. For you have picked me up and thrown me out. My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever. Your fame will endure to every generation. You will arise and have mercy on Jerusalem— and now is the time to pity her, now is the time you promised to help. For your people love every stone in her walls and cherish even the dust in her streets. Then the nations will tremble before the Lord. The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory. For the Lord will rebuild Jerusalem. He will appear in his glory. He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord. He broke my strength in midlife, cutting short my days. But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young! Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence.”
Psalms 102:1-28 NLT
This psalm was written by someone afflicted and weakened by trouble. Things are really bad: the author is drinking tears and eating ashes (v.9, a sign of mourning). The author remembers Jerusalem, which has been destroyed (v.16). Though mourning, the psalmist remembers that God hears and listens, even when He seems far away. The author wants his own suffering to be written down so his great grandchildren (and all generations) will know about his pain and how God saved him in the midst of this horrible suffering. What a difference it would make if we wrote down our prayers in the midst of our suffering, focusing on the faithfulness of God. These would be chapters to share with others, including our kids and grandkids, year after year.
Our lives are full of stories. Often, we are either the hero or victim of our stories. This psalm is different; it is about personal suffering, yet it focuses on faith in the Lord. The psalmist wanted his pain written down, as well as his faith, so future generations knew what to do when their season of struggle came. When our hard times come, or when they are in the lives of those we love, we can validate both pain and trust in the Lord. We can truly listen to their stories while pointing through their pain to the presence and power of God.
What are the stories of how God saved you from hard times, struggles, or suffering? How could you write them down and tell others? When could you do this?
