A Prayer of the Afflicted

Notice that this Psalm is given a title.

A Prayer of One Afflicted When He is Faint and Pours Out His Complaint before the Lord

That’s a long title. It is a good one. It reminds us that certain Psalms connect with certain situations. When you feel afflicted you can come to this Psalm for comfort.

The circumstances given are very general. This is what we can deduce from the text.

The setting is during the Babylonian captivity.

The mention of Zion and her need of pity (13).

The mention of Israel being enslaved (20)

The mention of the city of Jerusalem being destroyed (14)

The person who wrote the Psalm is:

An exile in Babylon (8)

A Jewish man

Suffering

The Psalm divides easily into three parts: v. 1-11, v. 12-22, v. 23-28

1. An Unbearable Life (1-11).

Notice the prayer is personal.

1-2 is the introduction to the Psalm.

Hear “my” prayer

Let “my cry” come to You

Incline your ear to “me”

Answer “me”

Pray your own prayers.

Prayer must be personal. We cannot pray the prayers of others.

Your prayer doesn’t have to be flowery.

Your prayer doesn’t have to be perfect.

Your prayer must be your own.

Jesus warned against vain and repetitious prayers (Matthew 6:7).

Notice what drove him to prayer:

“my distress” (2)

He is a prisoner in Babylon. He is suffering. He needs immediate relief.

I want to show you three things that characterize his circumstances:

1) He is sick.

He believes he is dying.

His life is likened to:

Smoke (4)

Withering grass (4)

An evening shadow (11)

These are things known to quickly pass away.

He has no appetite:

I forget to eat my bread (4)

My bones cling to my flesh (5)

2) He is sad.

Loud groaning (5)

I lie awake (7)

All my days my enemies taunt me, they use my name as a curse (8)

I eat ashes like bread (9) (ashes symbolized humility and sorrow). Figuratively speaking, his humility and sorrow are abundant.

Mingle tears with my drink (9). This shows how much he was weeping.

You have taken me up and thrown me down (10). God picked him up from his native homeland and cast him to the ground in Babylon.

3) He is lonely.

Like a desert owl (6)

An owl of the waste places (6)

A lonely sparrow (7)

The type of bird is difficult to discern because the Hebrew words used are too general. The point is not the type of bird it is. The point is it is a bird that is alone.

This is a man who is a prisoner of war. He is in a land that is not his own. He is physically sick. He is isolated from those who know and love him. Everything, it appears, has been taken from him.

The believer can take heart in the truth that no matter what this world takes from us, it cannot take God. We can always pray.

This man is emaciated.

This man is emotional.

He prays. When life is unbearable pray. Pour your heart out to God.

2. An Unbelievable Future (12-22).

“But” is one of the believer’s favorite words. Life is hard, but….

We see a change in the Psalm. The Psalmist begins to think of the goodness of the Lord.

Let’s see what it is about God that encourages the Psalmist:

1) The eternality of the Lord (12).

The Lord is enthroned forever. Man is dying. The Lord is not. It is important for a mortal man to trust in the immortal God. This trust gives us hope.

Man will be forgotten. God will not be forgotten (12).

2) The mercy of the Lord.

You will arise and have pity on Zion (13)

He regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer (17, 20)

He sets the prisoners free (20)

He delivers from death (20)

There is no better comfort than the knowledge of the grace of God.

When you are sick.

When you are lonely.

When you are hated.

When you are sad.

Remember the grace of God. God is merciful. He will pity those who cry out to Him in sincerity.

Notice something with me. Look at verse 14. Here we see the people of God pitying the ruins of Jerusalem. They hold a single stone dear and they have pity on the dust of the city.

Imagine a Jew walking through Jerusalem looking at its ruins. Babylon has laid the city and the Temple waste. A lover of God picks up a broken brick from the city and looks at it. Memories flood the mind of that saint.

It is good that we love the things God loves. When we do we share His heart. God sees our desire for the things of God. He shows mercy to us.

When your heart is broken with the things that break the heart of God you can expect God’s mercy to wash over you.

3) The salvation of the Lord.

The Psalmist look to a day when Jerusalem will be rebuilt (13).

“favor her” (13)

“the appointed time has come” (13)

“the LORD builds up Zion” (16)

“that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD” (21)

This has a double meaning:

Jerusalem was rebuilt at the order of Cyrus. The Temple was rebuilt as well. The Jewish exiles who wanted to return were allowed to return.

Eventually the city was destroyed again. This prophecy points toward a greater event than what happened at Cyrus command.

“Nations will fear the name of the Lord (15)

“All the Kings of the earth will fear your glory” (15)

“He (God) appears in His glory” (16)

“When peoples gather together, and kingdoms to worship the Lord” (22)

This points to a day when God has gathered people from every nation to worship Him. God is saving a people for Himself. Look at verse 18.

The Psalmist speaks of a people who are yet to be created. These people will praise the Lord. God has not finished saving people. I would imagine those in Babylonian captivity were tempted to think He was. Even in our day we may become discouraged. We need to remind ourselves that in every generation god is saving people.

Let’s put all this together. The Psalmist is encouraged because:

He knows that while man is mortal, God is immortal. Our faith in the eternal God gives us an eternal future.

He knows that God is merciful. God is love. He will forgive. He will shower His people with grace.

He knows that God is still saving people. God is building Himself a kingdom. If there are people on earth God is still saving people. For the Christian our best days are always ahead of us. We have an unbelievable future.

3. An Unchanging God (23-28).

First, we see a return to the beginning of the Psalm.

“He has broken my strength in midcourse” We can all remember when we were stronger. We would love to have those days back.

“He has shortened my days” the Psalmist recognizes he has less life to live than he has lived.

In verse 24 he asks the Lord not to take his life away early. Two things are true for the Christian concerning this:

1) We should not be afraid to die. To die is gain. We should look to death with great confidence and hope.

2) We should not be afraid to live. There is much we can do in this world. Specifically, there is work to do for the Lord. there are souls to be won, disciples to be made, kingdom work to accomplish.

Notice how he describes God in verse 24:

“You whose years endure throughout all generations”

If anyone can extend our lives it is God. He is alive in every generation. There is nothing wrong with appealing to the prince of life for a longer life. If you wish to live pray that God will heal you. Pray that God will keep you healthy.

Verses 25-27 are quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12. They are attributed to Jesus. This verse is one of the most convincing when it comes to the deity of Christ. Clearly these verses are speaking of God. They are clearly attributed to Jesus in Hebrews. The Psalmist is speaking of the same God that Hebrews is speaking of.

What do we see in these verses:

God is the creator. The heavens and the earth owe their existence to Him.

What has been created will perish. Creation is distinct from the creator. God is eternal. What he has created is not. When sin entered the world everything affected by sin began to die.

The Psalmist likens the heavens and the earth to old clothing. Eventually old clothing rots away.

v. 27 “But you are the same and your years have no end”

Not only does God not pass away. He does not change.

We change.

The mountains change.

The heavens change (falling stars, etc.)

The fields change

The landscape changes

Everything changes but God. That means that we can trust him.

Imagine an oak tree I your yard. It has a swing. You swing on it. Years pass and your children and grandchildren swing on it. It is strong. It can be trusted for many generations. But then a generation will come who can no longer trust it. The trees is old. It is weakened. The Limbs begin to break. Soon it is dead. Soon it is dust.

The only One who can be trusted for all generations is God. He doesn’t change. He doesn’t age. He doesn’t weaken. He will not turn to dust.

v. 28 Our children and grandchildren have the same security we have if they trust in our God. Our security is found in our unchanging God.

We are told in the New Testament “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Thank God for Jesus. He gives hope to the:

Sick

Lonely

Sad

If you find yourself afflicted take refuge in this Psalm. It will push you to Christ. Christ will comfort you through His Word.