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Pour Out Your Lament Before the LORD
Psalm 102
Andy Nagahara
1. A lament is also a prayer (0-11)
0 A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.
1 Hear my prayer, O 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 Because of my loud groaning I 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.
Have you ever cried out to the Lord saying “May my cry reach out to you?”It’s not a cry of joy but a cry of grief.
The first verse says, “Prayer of the afflicted. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.
In a state where the entire body is filled with sorrow and grief, some people might describe it as, ” no longer having words to pray”. But here we learn that lamentation is also a prayer if it is directed to the Lord.
However, constantly questioning whether the Lord is really noticing our lamentations in such situations is the feeling we have. Such a sense of hopelessness makes us lose the words to pray; but the Lord is always listening.
The psalmist is in the midst of the worst and loneliest situations that most people don’t get to encounter. His emotions seem to be seized and thrown down by God Himself, and yet, he is convinced that the Lord is worthy of his trust.
2. The Lord doesn’t change (12-22)
12 But you, O 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.
You may be confused by the tone, which is completely different from the first part.
The first word in verse 12, “But,” is a word that we should say clearly, decisively, and forcefully when we are faced with adversity. This “but” is the “but” that Jesus himself spoke, and it is the fundamental “but” for those who believe in Jesus as Lord and walk in Him.
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. <“Abba>, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:32-36)
The psalmist, too, in the worst of circumstances, still says, “But,” and sings out his trust in the Lord. We continue to hope for the fulfillment of things yet to come, (saying) “Our Lord will not forsake me”
This hope and expectation is possible because of past memory and history of the people. And even more so, for us we have Jesus our Lord whom we can put our trust in.
Let us re-read verses 17-18
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:
For us, the distant past and the future are far away from us, so we can’t help but be blinded by the reality of our situation, and if that reality is harsh, it’s understandable that we become desperate.
Even if all you can do is lament and moan, God will never abandon you. The entire history of faith in the Lord proves it.
Prayer, even in the form of lament, is received by the Lord. And He will provide the help, the hiding place, and the way out that we need.
3. We have an eternal home (23-28)
23 In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.
24 So I said: “Do not take me away, O 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.”
In this part, we see that the psalmist’s fear is also the fear of death. Only our trust in God can make our fear of death bearable.
There are two main elements to this fear. The first is that we will not be able to continue our walk on earth, and the second is that we will cease to exist.But God, through the Bible, teaches us that those fears are not entirely true.
It is true that our walk on earth will end. But that is not the end of all, as Jesus himself proved through his crucifixion and resurrection. We will not cease to walk, and we will not cease to exist. We will finish our first chapter on earth and move on to the second chapter in eternity. Therefore, the value of life does not lie in its length.
In verse 23, the psalmist also seems to be aware that he will leave the world without waiting for the average lifespan of his time. Jesus Himself went back to heaven after about 30 years.
I will say this many times, but the feeling of fear will not go away. You can numb it with various methods, but you can’t eliminate it, so it will come back again and again.
So, what you need to do is not to control your emotions, but to keep in mind that you are now spending a chapter that will eventually end.
That “But” has come up again in verse 27. We read verses 26-28 again.
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.”
“But” you have been provided with an eternal home, the second chapter, where you will be with the Eternal Lord.
(Prayer) Thank you, God, for your deep love and care for each and every one of us.
Even though we are living the new life that you have given us, we are troubled by the hardships before us and the prospect of death, but we trust that you are the one who will never change.
Although we may not have an eternal home on earth, we thank you that we do have a home that is prepared for the new stage we will soon be moved to.
Please protect us so that we can say “but” and continue to put our trust in you, regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in.
Enable us to be the ones who carry the joy and confidence of Your presence to others.
Summary
Prayer in times of trouble and suffering can be a lament being poured out from our hearts. Prayer is not directed toward other people, but toward God. Our words don’t need to be eloquent. God desires honesty and forthrightness from our hearts. Jesus alone will hear us so let us pour out our joys and sorrows before him.
For Discussion
1) Which part of this Psalm do you find relatable? Why?
2) How do verses 11-12 connect with verses 17-19?
For the children (and their guardians)
0-2: Tell them that it is okay to cry out to Jesus when they are in pain. Tell them that He will hear them.
Let them ponder about the loneliness in verses 6 and 7.
Tell them that even though we can’t physically see Jesus, he is always with us, no matter how troubled or sad we are.
There is no need to touch on death right away. However, tell them that there is hope for a second chapter if a pet or someone close to us dies.