Psalm 102:1-28
Hear My Prayer
1A prayer of one who is afflicted, when he grows faint and pours out his lament before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come before You.
2Do not hide Your face from me in my day of distress. Incline Your ear to me; answer me quickly when I call.
3For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
4My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread.
5Through my loud groaning my skin hangs on my bones.
6I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.
7I lie awake; I am like a lone bird on a housetop.
8All day long my enemies taunt me; they ridicule me and curse me.
9For I have eaten ashes like bread and mixed my drink with tears
10because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
11My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
12But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; Your renown endures to all generations.
13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed time has come.
14For Your servants delight in her stones and take pity on her dust.
15So the nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear Your glory.
16For the LORD will rebuild Zion; He has appeared in His glory.
17He will turn toward the prayer of the destitute; He will not despise their prayer.
18Let this be written for the generation to come, so that a people not yet created may praise the LORD.
19For He looked down from the heights of His sanctuary; the LORD gazed out from heaven to earth
20to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
21that they may proclaim the name of the LORD in Zion and praise Him in Jerusalem,
22when peoples and kingdoms assemble to serve the LORD.
23He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.
24I say: “O my God, do not take me 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 passed on.
27But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
28The children of Your servants will dwell securely, and their descendants will be established before You.”
Berean Standard Bible
The afflicted person asks God to hear before the day of distress passes. His days vanish like smoke, his bones burn, his heart is struck down, and he forgets to eat. He is like a desert owl, a bird alone on a roof, awake while others sleep.
Enemies insult him, ashes are his food, and tears mix with his drink. The prayer is addressed to God because the sufferer believes the LORD will arise and have compassion on Zion. The nations will fear His name when He rebuilds and hears the prayer of the destitute.
Human generations perish, but God remains. He will establish the children of His servants so they can dwell securely. The psalm moves from one exhausted life toward the permanence of God's name and the future of a community.
Questions
1 How does the afflicted person describe his days?
AnswerHis days vanish like smoke, his bones burn, and his heart is struck down and dried up.
2 What has become his food and drink?
AnswerHe eats ashes and mixes his drink with tears.
3 What will God do for Zion?
AnswerHe will arise with compassion, rebuild Zion, and hear the prayer of the destitute.
4 What remains when generations perish?
AnswerGod remains, and His name and years endure through every generation.
What This Means for Us
The psalm refuses to turn exhaustion into a character flaw. People who cannot eat, sleep, or speak normally under grief need care before advice.
God's permanence does not make an individual life disposable. It is the ground for asking Him to rebuild communities and establish the children of those who have been crushed.
Prayer
Eternal God, hear the afflicted whose days feel like smoke and whose grief has changed their bodies. Bring compassionate care, rebuild what has been ruined, and protect the children of suffering families. Amen.