Psalm 102:1-5, 11-13, 15-22, 25-28 NIV
Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.
For my days vanish like smoke;
my bones burn like glowing embers.
My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
I forget to eat my food.
In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones.
My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;
your renown endures through all generations.
You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.
The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.
Let this be written for a future generation,
that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.”
So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
and his praise in Jerusalem
when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
The children of your servants will live in your presence;
their descendants will be established before you.”
Psalm 102 is a personal prayer of one who is afflicted in some way. His life is cut short. He is in deep distress and his enemies gloat at his calamity. He trusts God to hear his prayers.
Interestingly he doesn't seem to be interceding for himself as much as he is for future generations. While his life withers away he has hope in God who never dies. He compares his short life to the never ending life of the Creator. He does not ask for healing. Instead he confidently proclaims that God will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Zion). The psalmist's heart is set on the people. He is not the only one who suffers. All Israel is in grief and distress over the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem the city of peace.
How often when I am in distress are my prayers centered only on my needs? Psalm 102 reminds me of the communal nature of our lives. As the apostle Paul wrote,
1 Corinthians 12:26-27 NIV
"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Not only does the psalmist have hope in the restoration of Israel, he has hope in the grand vision of God that all the earth will be united in the worship the Lord. Kings will lead their nations to honor the one true God. He trusts the exile of Israel will end and God's people will return to the promised land. He has hope that children and generations yet unborn will worship the Lord at His temple.
Though he has seen the destruction of Jerusalem and the razing of the temple he knows that God, the One who the temple represents, is not destroyed. God endures forever and reigns upon His real throne in heaven. From there God will have compassion and hear the prayers of His people. He will be moved to act.
Perhaps the psalmist will not live to see his hope fulfilled, but he remains confident that a future generation will.
May we all have a heart for us. May we each be comforted that even in our distress we are part of something greater than ourselves. May hope give live to your bones and lead you to pray for others and for future generation yet to be created.
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