Beyond Affliction
My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass. But Thou, O Lord, art enthroned forever; Thy name endures to all generations. (Psalm 102:11- 12)
Ps. 102; Deut. 33.27; Ps. 145:13; Heb. 1:10-12; II Cor. 12:9; Rev. 1:8
What Is God Saying?
This is not a joyful psalm, but it is triumphant. It is dark with suffering and pain. It is the cry of a person who has come to the end of their rope, but the dark setting yields to bright hope and confidence. The extremities of pain and desolation mirrored in this Psalm are aptly described by such phrases as, "I am like a pelican in the wilderness; I am like an owl in the waste places; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop," but the Psalm ends on a note of faith. "God is enthroned forever."
The closing verses of this Psalm (called "A Prayer of One Afflicted") use the exact words found in Hebrews 1:10-12 where they describe the eternal Chnst. What a great way to close this Psalm-Jesus is always there.
In "The Treasury of David", Charles Spurgeon describes this Psalm as follows, "In the first part of this Psalm (1-11) the moaning monopolizes every verse, the lamentation is unceasing, sorrow rules the hour. The second portion, from 12-28, has a vision of better things, a view of the blessed Lord, and his eternal existence and care for his people, and therefore it is interspersed with sunlight as well as shaded by the cloud, and it ends up gloriously with confidence for the future and restfulness in the Lord. The whole composition may be compared to a day which, opening with wind and rain, clears up at noon and is warm with the sun, continues with intervening showers and finally closes with a brilliant sunset" (Vol 4, pg. 417).
How Does This Apply To Us?
This psalm reflects the solitary feelings that come over us in a crisis. Comforting words from friends or relatives fall short of reaching the pain, but pain will not last forever. No burden is too heavy to bear. Jesus said, "I am with you always." The one who loves us is enthroned in glory. He is forever. He is also with us in every trial. Because he lives and because he is enthroned, we dare to go on, we can go on, we will go on.
Pray With Me
Lord, may I be given strength and wisdom to look away from myself until all my thinking and caring is centered on you and through you to others. When I look inward and become obsessed with myself, "My days are like an evening shadow." When I am taken up by those things that are important only to my own pleasure and well-being, "I wither away like grass." Such is a life that is lived for self.
Help me to turn my eyes toward you, O Lord. Help me to see you enthroned and to obey your voice. Light to banish all shadows and life to restore the withered spirit will surely flood my soul when I set my desire upon you. Let me see you, O Lord, enthroned forever. Give me grace to believe that your name endures to all generations. In such a vision and by such faith, the wayward and fickle passions of self will be subdued. I will turn with a sense of joyful release from an existence of evening shadows and withering grass to a life made bright by eternity's dawn and sustained by the bread of heaven. Give me grace so to turn, so to obey, and so to believe.
By His power who came that we might have an abundant life. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
This psalm is a call to prayer. It is real. It does not gloss over or speak with aloofness about the problems we face, yet it unveils the greatness of the one before whom we kneel. The affliction that brings us to our knees also opens a window on the glory of eternity and the saving power of the one whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. He who is with you in affliction wants to lead you beyond to the peace he provides for you, the joy he wants for you, and the glory he will share with you.
