Al Humdulillah. Reward be to God.
Dwelling within the Center East, we hear this phrase a number of occasions on daily basis. It’s the reply to many questions. “How are you?” She could possibly be pleased or unhappy and say, “Al Humdulillah.” “How is your work?” He may have a well-paying job or none in any respect and say, “Al Humdulillah.” “How are you feeling?” She could possibly be wholesome, sick, and even dying and say, “Al Humdulillah.” The phrase serves as an excellent reminder that our lives and well-being are within the hand of God. However typically I hate listening to it.
After all, our God is worthy of all reward, however the non secular tradition of Islam strangles out expressions of discouragement and despondency. Typically after I sit with a Muslim household and one among them tells me of his loss and grief, lamenting unbelievable sorrows, one other will minimize him off by insisting, “Say, ‘Al Humdulillah.’” The which means is obvious: “Don’t grieve. Reward God.” That is what I hate — the refusal to permit lament as a result of we’re alleged to reward God in all issues.
We Christians can do that too. As soon as we shared with a church a couple of notably onerous season of ministry within the Center East. Although not hopeless, we actually weren’t rosy. One of many parishioners mentioned to us afterward, “Rejoice within the Lord at all times.” It was a mild rebuke meant to point that we shouldn’t share our hardships so actually, particularly not as “despatched ones.” To this I say, “Al Hamdulillah, the Lord doesn’t share this aversion to lament.” In truth, we see within the Psalms that he invitations us to pour out our complaints to him.
Prayer of One Stricken
Too usually after we learn the Psalms, we ignore the little little bit of textual content originally. It could be one thing brief like, “A Psalm” (Psalm 98) or “Of David” (Psalm 25). Different occasions, this little little bit of textual content is a part of what makes the psalm so deeply useful.
The heading of Psalm 102 reads, “A prayer of 1 troubled, when he’s faint and pours out his grievance earlier than the Lord.” For me, these are among the most encouraging phrases within the Bible.
In our work within the Arab world, we haven’t seen the fruit we’d like. A lot of our ministry has felt like plodding. Dwelling within the Center East might be difficult, with wars, refugees, unrest, and extremism. I can get discouraged, even depressed. My good friend shouldn’t have 37 useless relations from a battle in his dwelling area. One other shouldn’t have watched all seven of his youngsters die of their early years of life. After which there are those that can’t afford to feed their households, or should stick with it in abusive marriages, or pull their children out of college in sixth grade to allow them to work to assist the household.
Confronted with such struggling, I typically really feel hopeless and downcast. However Psalm 102 reveals a easy fact: there’s a prayer for me. I think you even have had comparable moments of ache and discouragement. This prayer is for you too.
The psalmist lived in a damaged world and wanted to “pour out his grievance,” because the heading says. One doesn’t pour one thing out if there’s solely slightly. These weren’t drops of sorrow; there was a lot in his coronary heart he needed to pour it out. Splendidly, he felt free to pour out his grievance earlier than God. Much more remarkably, the Spirit of God impressed him to pour out his grievance. Then the Spirit took this grievance and put it within the Scriptures in order that we might haven’t solely permission to do likewise, but additionally an instance to comply with.
Psalm 102 is encouraging as a result of the psalmist teaches us the best way to be actual after we categorical our ache; in the identical breath, he strikes us towards hope.
His Grievance
We don’t know the precise nature of the psalmist’s grievance, however we do see its results. One thing compels him to cry out to God in his misery. The pit he’s in makes him really feel like God doesn’t hear his prayer. The darkness conceals God’s face, main him to imagine God won’t reply (verses 1–2).
His coronary heart is withering, for he seems like his life is in a furnace. His melancholy is so deep he forgets to eat. He can not sleep. He weeps a lot his tears combine together with his drink (verses 3–9). All of this as a result of he feels the “indignation and anger” of God upon him (verse 10).
The psalmist is brutally trustworthy. He neither hides nor minimizes his sorrows. True relationship calls for honesty. He needs to be recognized by God and won’t draw back from his deepest ache. Nor does God need him to. The Father needs true relationship together with his youngsters. His love will not be fragile nor weak. It bears our ache.
His Hope
Just like the psalmist, I could be a mess — unable to eat or sleep, crammed with discouragement and hopelessness. However the psalmist refuses to wallow. He makes a shift. Turning to the Lord, he is aware of that he has a supply of consolation and hope. “However you, O Lord, are enthroned without end. . . . You’ll come up and have pity on Zion” (verses 12–13).
Too usually, we fail to return to the “however.” We give attention to our ache and make our grievance final. We enthrone our woes over him who reigns without end. However the psalmist makes a shift. He alters the course of his coronary heart, turning his gaze from all that’s incorrect to the one in whom all is correct. He remembers and proclaims the greatness of God’s energy and majesty: “Nations will concern the title of the Lord” (verse 15). He additionally remembers God’s mercy and compassion: “He regards the prayer of the destitute and doesn’t despise their prayer” (verse 17).
The psalmist’s confidence in God is so nice he says, “Let this be recorded for a era to return, so {that a} individuals but to be created could reward the Lord” (verse 18). He needs a report of his ache and wish, adopted by a report of God’s gracious assist in time of want. He needs a report of probably the most fundamental information within the universe: We’d like assist, and God is a helper. We get assist, and God will get glory. We get delivered, and God will get praised. Make the report in order that “they might declare in Zion the title of the Lord, and in Jerusalem his reward, when peoples collect collectively, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord” (verse 21–22).
His hope is certain as a result of he is aware of God is trustworthy in his mercy. God’s assist for the psalmist will abound to God’s reward among the many peoples.
His Rigidity
At this level, the psalm will get most fascinating and, in some methods, most encouraging. All of us want deliverance could be straightforward and easy. We’d like assist. We cry out to God. He saves us. We’re comforted. We give him reward and worship. However not often is our rescue that easy. It wasn’t for the psalmist.
He halts his grievance and turns the nook when he remembers that God is enthroned. He declares with confidence that new generations will see God’s deliverance and provides him reward.
But in verse 23, the psalmist once more makes his grievance: “He has damaged my power in midcourse; he has shortened my days.” He is aware of the reality. He hopes within the fact. He confidently seems ahead to God’s deliverance, however he nonetheless feels damaged. His ache doesn’t immediately disappear. He lives within the pressure of a fallen world crammed with ache and a compassionate God who has pity on his individuals.
The reality of God’s mercy doesn’t take away all of the ache of his struggling. However neither does the ache of his struggling take away his religion and confidence in God’s mercy.
His Reward
The psalmist’s ache stays, however his hope is strengthened. To start with, he pleads with God to not conceal his face from him (verse 2). On the finish, he professes his conviction that although the world ought to perish, God stays (verse 26). His hope even extends to his youngsters and past: “The kids of your servants shall dwell safe; their offspring shall be established earlier than you” (verse 28).
In our brokenness, we pray the prayer of 1 troubled. We’re faint and pour out our grievance earlier than God. And just like the psalmist, we pivot: “However God.” We flip from our grievance to him who’s the reality — even to the Savior who prayed this prayer himself. When Jesus poured out his grievance, his agony was so nice that “his sweat grew to become like nice drops of blood falling all the way down to the bottom (Luke 22:44). Then he was damaged for us in order that by his wounds we could be healed. His brokenness undoes ours.
The nations will concern the title of the Lord (Psalm 102:15). The peoples and kingdoms will collect to worship him (verse 22). We who’re troubled and damaged will probably be made entire. And within the midst of our brokenness, we hope in God who’s enthroned above. Al Hamdulillah.
