The structure of this psalm is interesting. The first 11 verses are personal lament. It is self-focused, although at verse 10 the focus shifts a little to the relationship between the speaker and the Lord.The focus in 12-16 is the Lord and His city. Personal considerations have been pushed aside in favour of a vision of God’s greatness (12), the importance of Zion to God’s people (14) and the praise of God in the world (15).
As we move on to verses 17-22, the focus remains on God, his people, and his praise.The focus returns to the personal relationship with God briefly in verses 23-24, but the glory of God overwhelms concern for self (25-27), and the psalm ends on a note of confidence that God’s people will be secure (28).
So, what starts as a self-focused personal lament ends focused corporately, on the confidence that the Lord’s people should have in him. Now, for some observations regarding the psalm.
Pain & suffering tend to make us self-focused. So it is not surprising that we see self-focus in the personal lament psalms, nor that we feel that way at times in our own lives. But we need not become that way regularly, and we (the best fed – and even overfed – generation in history) certainly ought not to be that way all the time.
Note the heading. This is a model of prayer in affliction. It is teaching us that it is forgivable to be self-focused a bit when in pain or suffering, but we should move beyond that.
We need to see God in our suffering. For some reason, the Lord allows his people to suffer (10, 23-24).God may allow suffering because we are guilty of sin (Isa 1:5-6, 16-17; 59:1-2).God may allow suffering to open a door of opportunity (Gal 4:13).God may allow suffering that will never be explained to us (Job’s sufferings were explained to him).
The reasons for our suffering may not be clear, but God’s permissive will is always involved. The circumstances are never beyond his control. The suffering is never meaningless.The timing may seem a problem to us (13).But God’s time is very different (24).
We need to turn from self-focus to focus on God’s people and purpose. God’s purpose is that a people be redeemed for fellowship with him — the fellowship that existed in the garden before the fall (Gen 3:8; Rev 21:3, 6). But for that to happen, the suffering of another garden experience must take place (Lk 22:44).
To accomplish God’s purpose, he may often have to deal with us in ways that are unpleasant in the here and now.God’s purpose for his people may require that one of his people suffer inconvenience, ill health, injustice or even death. The willingness My Days and Your Years – Psalm 102
The structure of this psalm is interesting. The first 11 verses are personal lament. It is self-focused, although at verse 10 the focus shifts a little to the relationship between the speaker and the Lord.The focus in 12-16 is the Lord and His city. Personal considerations have been pushed aside in favour of a vision of God’s greatness (12), the importance of Zion to God’s people (14) and the praise of God in the world (15).
As we move on to verses 17-22, the focus remains on God, his people, and his praise.The focus returns to the personal relationship with God briefly in verses 23-24, but the glory of God overwhelms concern for self (25-27), and the psalm ends on a note of confidence that God’s people will be secure (28).
So, what starts as a self-focused personal lament ends focused corporately, on the confidence that the Lord’s people should have in him.
Now, for some observations regarding the psalm.
Pain & suffering tend to make us self-focused.
So it is not surprising that we see self-focus in the personal lament psalms, nor that we feel that way at times in our own lives. But we need not become that way regularly, and we (the best fed – and even overfed – generation in history) certainly ought not to be that way all the time.
Note the heading. This is a model of prayer in affliction. It is teaching us that it is forgivable to be self-focused a bit when in pain or suffering, but we should move beyond that.
We need to see God in our suffering.
For some reason, the Lord allows his people to suffer (10, 23-24).God may allow suffering because we are guilty of sin (Isa 1:5-6, 16-17; 59:1-2).God may allow suffering to open a door of opportunity (Gal 4:13).God may allow suffering that will never be explained to us (Job’s sufferings were explained to him).
The reasons for our suffering may not be clear, but God’s permissive will is always involved. The circumstances are never beyond his control. The suffering is never meaningless.The timing may seem a problem to us (13).But God’s time is very different (24).
We need to turn from self-focus to focus on God’s people and purpose.
God’s purpose is that a people be redeemed for fellowship with him — the fellowship that existed in the garden before the fall (Gen 3:8; Rev 21:3, 6). But for that to happen, the suffering of another garden experience must take place (Lk 22:44).
To accomplish God’s purpose, he may often have to deal with us in ways that are unpleasant in the here and now.God’s purpose for his people may require that one of his people suffer inconvenience, ill health, injustice or even death. The willingness of his Son to suffer death is the heart of our faith.
God’s purpose demands our holiness, not our earthly happiness.It is not all about us. It is about God being God and we being his people.Often, his glorification is best served by things going well, but occasionally, his glory is served in some less pleasant way (Rom 14:8).
Our suffering, individually and corporately, is never beyond his control and never allowed without his purpose. There are no meaningless moments. There is no meaningless pain in our lives.of his Son to suffer death is the heart of our faith.
God’s purpose demands our holiness, not our earthly happiness.It is not all about us. It is about God being God and we being his people.Often, his glorification is best served by things going well, but occasionally, his glory is served in some less pleasant way (Rom 14:8).
Our suffering, individually and corporately, is never beyond his control and never allowed without his purpose. There are no meaningless moments. There is no meaningless pain in our lives.
Eswatini