From Distress to Confidence (Psalm 102, Part 3)

Confidence: Hope in Our Everlasting God (verses 23-28)

²³In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.
²⁴So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;

your years go on through all generations.

²⁵In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, 

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.

Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

²⁷But you remain the same, and your years will never end.
²⁸The children of your servants will live in your presence;

      their descendants will be established before you.”

May we base our hope on our everlasting God. The ever-living Creator, who brought our world into being will one day bring it to an end. In the midst of our worldly prosperity and spiritual growth, God’s omnipotence will rescue and bless His troubled people. Our future is tied up with God’s promises. 

Everlasting God, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. You remain for all eternity. Our hope is in You. You give us the confidence we need.

Jesus is the unchanging Lord of all. God’s Son and the generations of His followers will last forever.

Lord, teach us to pray aright

With reverence and with fear;

Though dust and ashes in thy sight,

We may, we must, draw near.

James Montgomery (1771-1853)

From Distress to Confidence (Psalm 102, Part 2)

Consolation: Our Everlasting God Listens (verses 12-22)

¹²But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;

your renown endures through all generations.

¹³You will arise and have compassion on Zion,

for it is time to show favor to her;

 the appointed time has come.

¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants;

her very dust moves them to pity.
¹⁵The nations will fear the name of the Lord,

all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
¹⁶For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
¹⁷He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸Let this be written for a future generation,

that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
¹⁹“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high,

from heaven he viewed the earth,

²⁰to hear the groans of the prisoners

and release those condemned to death.”
²¹So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion

and his praise in Jerusalem

²²when the peoples and the kingdoms

assemble to worship the Lord.

God listens to us and gives us consolation. May we preserve our memory of God’s work for later generations. God hears the cries of His destitute people and brings them back. His mercy, truth and faithfulness result in salvation. May we communicate what God has done for us and for His church, praising Him.

You, Lord God, are enthroned forever. Thank You that You do not despise our prayers. You look down from heaven to hear the groans of prisoners, to set free those doomed to die. We declare Your name, Lord God, and sing Your praise. We gather together to worship You. Thank You that You listen. Give us Your consolation.

From Distress to Confidence (Psalm 102, Part 1)

When in distress we can be confident that God will hear our prayers. God’s changeless mercy and consistent faithfulness give us this confidence. In our distress God listens so we can place our hope in the everlasting God.

Distress: Prayer of Desperation (verses 1-11)

¹Hear my prayer, Lord; let my cry for help come to you.
²Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress.
Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly.

³For my days vanish like smoke;

         my bones burn like glowing embers.
⁴My heart is blighted and withered like grass;

      I forget to eat my food.
⁵In my distress I groan aloud

      and am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
⁷I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof.
⁸All day long my enemies taunt me;

         those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
⁹For I eat ashes as my food

      and mingle my drink with tears

      ¹⁰because of your great wrath,

         for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹My days are like the evening shadow;

            I wither away like grass.

In our desperation may we turn to God. Our sorrow often causes us to forget God’s promises. May we describe our desperate feelings to God, turning to Him for relief. Even when we see our existence as little more than a passing shadow, we can know that God has not rejected us.

Hear our prayer, O Lord God; let our cries come to You! Incline Your ear to us; answer us speedily! Our days pass away like an evening shadow; we wither away like grass. In our distress and desperation we come to You, our loving God.