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.