Psalm 102:1-28
Hear My Prayer
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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
Read aloud
The afflicted person asks God to hear and answer quickly in his day of distress. His days vanish like smoke, his bones burn, his heart withers, and he forgets to eat. He lies awake like a lone bird on a housetop. Enemies taunt him, and he says God has picked him up and cast him aside in anger.
Yet the LORD sits enthroned forever. The singer expects Him to rebuild Zion and hear the destitute. He asks that this be written for a generation to come, so that people not yet created will praise the God who hears captives and releases those condemned to death.
His own need remains urgent: do not take me in the midst of my days. God founded the earth and made the heavens; they will wear out like clothing, but He remains the same. The children of His servants can dwell securely before this enduring God.
Hebrews 1:10–12 applies these words about the unchanging Creator to the Son. Jesus is not swept away by the passing world. The Lord to whom we bring our brief and troubled lives will never come to an end.
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 heaven and earth wear out?
AnswerGod remains the same, and His years never end. The world He made cannot outlast Him.
What This Means for Us
The singer is worn down enough to forget food and lie awake at night. When grief affects someone this way, bring practical care as well as prayer. A meal, quiet company, or help with an ordinary task can matter greatly.
He wants God’s saving work recorded for people not yet born. Our own days are brief, but the Lord remains. Tell the next generation why you trust Him, including how you have called on Him in trouble. They will need that testimony as well as the memory of happier days.
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.
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