What Happens When Trouble Strikes?

Psalms 102:1–14
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In this passage the psalmist is lamenting the condition of the nation of Israel. There is much disagreement among scholars as to who wrote this Psalm. However, many agree that it was written in the closing days of the Babylonian exile. John Phillips, in his book Exploring The Psalms, suggests that it may have been Daniel. At any rate, the Psalmist is in trouble.  He prays earnestly that God will hear him and not hide his face (vv. 1-2). He tells the Lord his troubles and they are basically three things:

1. His endurance is gone (vv. 3-5). He said that his days are consumed by fire. He compares himself to a piece of charred wood (v. 3). His heart was withering like grass and he had lost his appetite for food (v. 4).
2. His environment is wrong (vv. 6-7). He compares himself to “a pelican in the wilderness,” “an owl of the desert” (v. 6) and “a sparrow on the housetop.” Each of these three birds is in the wrong environment. He is lamenting that his environment is wrong.
3. His enemy is strong (vv. 8-11). He says the enemies reproach him (v. 8) which suggests great defiance and railing. To eat ashes like bread (v. 9) expresses the humiliation of his situation. Likewise, to mingle the drink with tears shows great distress. Because God had allowed all of this to happen he felt his life was about over (vv. 10, 11).

The psalmist saw his countrymen adapting themselves to the land of exile and it saddened him.

Application

What a lesson this is for me! This world is not my home and I must resist all of its efforts to swallow me up. I must constantly remind myself that I am bound for another land.