What To Think About When Things Get Really Bad!
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Psalm 102:12-17
12
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.
These first verses of Psalm 102 show how bad things have gotten for the psalmist and his people. This scene is set most likely after Israel was in exile, after being defeated by her enemies. We would say the people have hit bottom and the only way to look is up.
Then we see a huge transition in the verses below that give him hope.
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.
The psalmist says this about His God:
1. God is infinite and unchanging. Though circumstances change, God never does. Though the psalmist will wither like grass and fade like the shadow into the night, God can is unshakeable and he can hold on to and rely on Him.
2. God will show compassion and bring back favor to His people. There is time for discipline and a time for grace and restoration. Though sorrow may last for the night, God's joy comes in the morning.
3. God will rebuild Zion (Jerusalem) and appear in His glory. Ultimately the psalmist had faith that God would re-build the walls of Jerusalem. Why? Because God had promised this in the covenant he made with Abraham, and the promise he made with King David to have a king forever on the throne of Israel. Ultimately this was a prophecy about Jesus, the King of kings, who would re-build a New Jerusalem.
The psalmist gives us a good model for when we go through hard times. When our trials bring us to our knees, we can look up to our infinite God. Most of the things we go through are only for a season, and knowing that a time of favor is around the corner can give us hope! Finally, the greatest promise is that no matter what happens to us, God can use it to restore us and make us even stronger than before.
Psalm 102:12-17
12
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.
These first verses of Psalm 102 show how bad things have gotten for the psalmist and his people. This scene is set most likely after Israel was in exile, after being defeated by her enemies. We would say the people have hit bottom and the only way to look is up.
Then we see a huge transition in the verses below that give him hope.
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.
The psalmist says this about His God:
1. God is infinite and unchanging. Though circumstances change, God never does. Though the psalmist will wither like grass and fade like the shadow into the night, God can is unshakeable and he can hold on to and rely on Him.
2. God will show compassion and bring back favor to His people. There is time for discipline and a time for grace and restoration. Though sorrow may last for the night, God's joy comes in the morning.
3. God will rebuild Zion (Jerusalem) and appear in His glory. Ultimately the psalmist had faith that God would re-build the walls of Jerusalem. Why? Because God had promised this in the covenant he made with Abraham, and the promise he made with King David to have a king forever on the throne of Israel. Ultimately this was a prophecy about Jesus, the King of kings, who would re-build a New Jerusalem.
The psalmist gives us a good model for when we go through hard times. When our trials bring us to our knees, we can look up to our infinite God. Most of the things we go through are only for a season, and knowing that a time of favor is around the corner can give us hope! Finally, the greatest promise is that no matter what happens to us, God can use it to restore us and make us even stronger than before.
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