The Patriot’s Plaint

Psalm: 102 –

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.

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

³ For my days vanish like smoke;
    my bones burn like glowing embers.
⁴ My heart is blighted and withered like grass;
    I forget to eat my food.
⁵ In my distress I groan aloud
    and am reduced to skin and bones.
⁶ I am like a desert owl,
    like an owl among the ruins.
⁷ I lie awake; I have become
    like a bird alone on a roof.
⁸ All day long my enemies taunt me;
    those who rail against me use my name as a curse.
⁹ For I eat ashes as my food
    and mingle my drink with tears
¹⁰ because of your great wrath,
    for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
¹¹ My days are like the evening shadow;
    I wither away like grass.

¹² But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;
    your renown endures through all generations.
¹³ You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
    for it is time to show favor to her;
    the appointed time has come.
¹⁴ For her stones are dear to your servants;
    her very dust moves them to pity.
¹⁵ The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
    all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
¹⁶ For the Lord will rebuild Zion
    and appear in his glory.
¹⁷ He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;
    he will not despise their plea.

¹⁸ Let 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,
²⁰ to hear the groans of the prisoners
    and release those condemned to death.”
²¹ So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion
    and his praise in Jerusalem
²² when the peoples and the kingdoms
    assemble to worship the Lord.

²³ In the course of my life^[b] he broke my strength;
    he cut short my days.
²⁴ So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
    your years go on through all generations.
²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶ 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.
²⁷ But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.
²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence;
    their descendants will be established before you.”

Introduction

Greetings in the matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….

This psalm is known as the prayer of afflicted. We don’t know the author of this psalm. As per the author is concern, there are many debates I don’t want to go into it in details but it is more to Davidic psalm because there are some Davidic style of writings.  Some say that David wrote when he flew from Absalom. The author is overwhelmed and pours out his pain before the Lord. Charles H. Spurgeon says “This psalm is a prayer far more in Spirit than in words.” We don’t know his distress is personal or cooperate but it seems he is deep pain and pouring out himself and his situation before God or his helplessness is very much deeply expressed in this psalm.    

I would like to adopt the title given by Charles H. Spurgeon ‘Patriots Plaint’ in his commentary.

DIVISION:- In the first portion of the Psalm, Ps 102:1-11, the moaning monopolizes every verse, the lamentation is unceasing, sorrow rules his heart. He expresses his pain by saying “I am in distress (vs.1-2), my bones burn like glowing embers (vs.3), I forget to eat my food (vs. 4), and I am reduced to skin and bones (vs.5), like an owl among the ruins (vs.6), All day long my enemies taunt me (vs.8);  those who rail against me use my name as a curse (vs.8),  For I eat ashes as my food  and mingle my drink with tears (vs.9), because of your great wrath  for you have taken me up and thrown me aside (vs.10),  My days are like the evening shadow I wither away like grass (vs.11).” he is not only lost strength in heart but also outside.

 The second portion, from Ps 102:12-28, He starts vs.12- “But you O Lord sits enthroned forever.” He has a vision of better things, a hope, and a view of the gracious Lord, HIS eternal existence, and care for HIS people, and therefore it is interspersed with sunlight, and it ends up right gloriously with calm confidence for the future, and sweet rest in the Lord. 

I would like to bring out three points in light of this psalm:-

1.    The Grace in Affliction

As far as a believer is concern, suffering is never a new thing; it is always part of every believer’s life. Jesus himself said, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  So we have Lord who has overcome this world. The psalmist here is in great affliction. What does it mean by affliction? I would say, a situation where we feel we are helpless, nothing more to do or unable to handle this situation or situation has gone from our control.

God allows us to go affliction only to make understand that we cannot handle everything. Even this unbearable or uncontrolled or unhandled situation, God gives us the GRACE to face it or go through it. When Paul prayed to God for a particular thing which he wants to get rid of, “But HE said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”……..”(2 Corinthians 12:9).    

    I and my wife are experiencing this GRACE every day from the day when our son fell sick, and nothing was in our hand or it was more than we can handle. And when he left to his heavenly abode at the age of 3 years and 8 months, it was unbearable, something which was unexpected. All these happen all of the sudden but God in HIS grace is still leading us through our life.  

Why does God allow these in our Life? God wants us to put our whole trust in HIM. In 2 Corinthians 1:9, Paul says, “Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

In nutshell, as Paul says that this happened that we might not trust in ourselves but in Christ. Paul emphasizes the God who raises the dead. The power of God or HIS Almightiness is the reason behind Paul’s trust in God.    

2.    Faithfulness and Hope of God in Affliction

The psalmist here is at the bottom of all his troubles, He is under a pile, which he describes in exquisite detail. He is a flitting shadow. But he then turns to describe God (v. 12). “But you O Lord sits enthroned forever.”  Here is the logic, running on a straight line. God is eternal because His character is constant; Zion will be restored (vs. 13) and when Zion is restored, God will regard the prayer of the destitute (vs. 17). Luther once wrote that “the heart of religion lies in its personal pronouns.” For example, this is my God, and so this is my promise.

God is faithful and hope in HIM has always played a great role in the life of every Christian. During the time of affliction, the psalmist is very much hopeful and trustful in the faithfulness of Christ. God is the same forever, as Hebrews says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Hence, HIS character is stable and unchangeable. So, we can depend on HIS faithfulness and can hope the best in Christ. God’s character of eternity is something Psalmist is more confident than his afflicted situation.    

3.    Victories future

²⁶ 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.
²⁷ But you remain the same,
    and your years will never end.
²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence;
    their descendants will be established before you.”

Vs 26-27- “They shall perish, but YOU shall endure.” 

The power which made them shall dissolve them, even as the city of your love was destroyed at your command; yet neither the ruined city nor the ruined earth can make a change in YOU, reverse your purpose or diminish your glory. Psalmist says everything will pass away but your glory and your plans will always remain. So in this time of distress, he is totally trusting in God who is unchangeable.

There is some more given in vs. 28-The children of your servants shall continue.” Here the psalmist is declaring a clear fact looking forward to a future generation, and with confidence, he declares that his servants would arise and be preserved and blessed by God. Some translation says, "Let the sons of thy servants abide." So let’s be faithful so that our plea for Lord’s favor be heard and as we expect that the cause of God and truth will revive in future generations. Let us hope that those who are to succeed us will not be as stubborn, unbelieving and erring as we have been. Let’s pray to God that He may rise up better order of man who has zeal and obedience shall win and hold a long HIS blessings. God doesn’t neglect the children of his servants. It is the rule that Abraham’s family was taken forever servant of God. Grace is not hereditary but God loves to be served by the same family in time to time.  Here is Zion's hope, her sons will build her up, and her offspring will restore her former glories.

Our God is God of wonders, whoever trusts in him and whoever overcomes this world has a happy ending. Let’s trust in God fully so that in this time of our distress where the whole world is fighting with Covid-19, we as servants or children of God may find God’s faithfulness and Hope and let’s overcome our helplessness by trusting God so that we can have a glorious future with Lord not only in this world but the world to come.

God bless you….