Elder Ong See Lian
01/11/2009 1130
Theme for Sep to Nov: Book of Psalms
Unit 1: Singing God's Praises
September 06 God Is Revealed (Psalm 19:1-14)
September 13 God Is Just (Psalm 9:1-20)
September 20 God Is Faithful (Psalms 105:1–106:48)
September 27 God Is Great (Psalm 135:1-21)
Unit 2: When the Music Stops
October 04 When I Need Comfort (Psalm 23:1-6)
October 11 When I Have Sinned (Psalm 51:1-19)
October 18 When I Am Afraid (Psalm 56:1-13)
October 25 When I Have Doubts (Psalm 73:1-28)
November 01 When I Am Afflicted (Psalm 102:1-28)
November 08* Choose Wisely (Psalm 1:1-6)
November 15 Live Righteously (Psalm 112:1-10)
November 22 Give Thanks (Psalm 116:1-19)
November 29 Obey God's Word (Psalm 119:1-176)
Psa 102:1-28 A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you! (2) Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! (3) For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace. (4) My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. (5) Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my flesh. (6) I am like a desert owl of the wilderness, like an owl of the waste places; (7) I lie awake; I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop. (8) All the day my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse. (9) For I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink, (10) because of your indignation and anger; for you have taken me up and thrown me down. (11) My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. (12) But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations. (13) You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come. (14) For your servants hold her stones dear and have pity on her dust. (15) Nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth will fear your glory. (16) For the LORD builds up Zion; he appears in his glory; (17) he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. (18) Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: (19) that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, (20) to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, (21) that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise, (22) when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD. (23) He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days. (24) "O my God," I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days-- you whose years endure throughout all generations!" (25) Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. (26) They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, (27) but you are the same, and your years have no end. (28) The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.
Pro 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
A word fitly spoken is a great encouragement to those in need.
There are times we go through tough times, for example when we grief over the loss of a loved one. In times like this, it is good to have someone who tell us they could feel what we feel, someone who understands what we are going through.
In Psalm 102, the Psalmist was pouring out his heart and soul to God. In his affliction, he cried out to God for help. The emphasis is on God’s sovereignty and His unchangeable nature.
Sometimes God allows us to go through difficult times because he has a higher purpose for us. We sometimes we allow the mountains to block our vision. Do not be bogged down by the troubles.
Psalm 102 along with 6, 32, 38, 51, 130 and 147 are recognized as penitential psalms.
As he progressed, his attitude changed when he turned his attention to God. He was made aware that God sat enthroned forever in heaven. He cried out to God regarding his affliction and he placed his confidence in the unchanging nature of God. In this psalm, we can identify clearly the writer’s feelings concerning tragedy.
When we are afflicted, know
1. God Listens To Our Prayers (vv 1 to 11)
2. God’s Enduring Promises (vv 12-22)
3. God’s Unchanging Nature (vv 23-28)
God listens to our prayers
In verses 1 and 2 – the prayer was directed to God and it was a cry of distress. The intense cry is seen in 5 petitions: Hear my prayer, let my cry come to You, do not hide, incline your ear and answer me.
The petitioner has a faith rooted in God who acts on behalf of His people and the 5 petitions reveal 5 important matters about the petitioner:
1. “Hear my prayer” - He trusts in his covenant Lord, the God of relationship.
2. “Let my cry come to You” - He boldly goes to the Lord due to his intimacy with God.
3. “Do not hide” - He can trust in God’s faithfulness even with this dire distress. 1 Pet 5:7.
4. “Incline Your ear and answer me” - He sees the Lord responding readily to him.
5. “Answer me” - He is confident to ask for a quick response.
The 5 matters can become the checklist that examines the truth or state of our relationship with the Lord.
Some compare the expressions of vv 1 to 11 to Job’s expression of anguish. But we can see in both situations the problems faced were not directly answered, yet they both surrendered to God’s purposes in the situation and eventually emerged victorious!
2Co 4:17-18 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (18) as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Paul told us we are living a world that is temporal and fallen in nature. We should instead focus on something more valuable, more eternal.
Psalm 102 reminds us of Psalm 22.
Psa 22:1-4 To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? (2) O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. (3) Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. (4) In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.
Jesus quoted verse 1 when he was on the Cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he was sweating blood. This showed the physical, emotional and mental stress he was going through. In verse 3 of Psalm 22, we see the psalmist turned to God and trusted Him.
1Pe 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, (7) casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Casting = dumping. Do not hold on to our worries.
Like the psalmist, let us learn to be completely honest with God with our feelings. Do not be afraid to share our burdens with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Heb 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (2) looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (3) Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
Recognize God’s higher purposes (Rom 8:28, Job 1:9-12).
God’s Enduring Promises
In verses 12 to 28, the psalmist turned from his affliction and focused on who God, His sovereignty and His unchanging nature. God is above time and its inherent problems. He is a merciful God, He is trustworthy and there would fulfill His promises.
Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Sometimes when we worship God it is just a chorus and it doesn’t sink into our lives.
Psa 119:90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
These promises ensures not just us but also our future generations.
1Pe 1:23-24 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; (24) for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls
The Word of God is everlasting. The Word strengthens us to move in the glory of God.
God’s Unchanging Nature
The psalmist felt his life was wasting away and prayed that God would prolong his days. The basis of his request is that God is the creator (v25). God is eternal and He does not change (verses 26, 27)
One day, all that the world had to offer would come to an end, but God – with all His power, glory and splendor – would ensure forever. The Bible consistently asserts that the old passes away then the new comes into being!
Isa 54:10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
2Pe 3:7, 10-11 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. … (10) But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (11) Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
Recognizing God’s unchanging nature gives us hope.
Heb 1:10-12 And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; (11) they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, (12) like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Because God never changes, we know that the same power by which He created the universe is available to help us in our afflictions today.
Bless God for your afflictions and your afflictions will be your greatest blessings! ~ Charles Spurgeon.
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