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Ps 102

102:1 A prayer of an afflicted man. When he is faint and pours out his lament before the LORD.

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.

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.

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."

NIV

This is titled correctly as it would appear this man is certainly afflicted, but we are not sure just what type of affliction he suffers from. During the course of life there are many situations that we could say are an affliction. He is so upset over something that he cannot even eat, and he is wasting away physically. An emotional state of the mind that affected the body is a fact of life. But this man is a believer, not as we think of being a being, as he is not aware of Jesus, the free gift of God. But he does know God, he is aware of the God of creation and the God who dealt with Noah, Job, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. He knows about the time of the exodus and how God’s mighty power was displayed in all those men and the lives of the children of Israel. Yet he suffers and he pleads with God not to leave him to his affliction. We would think being a believer he should not be afflicted in the first place. Oh is the true? Are we exempt from afflictions? He does remind God of the fact God sits upon the throne forever. He does come to terms with God is all powerful and looks to him for a healing of his affliction.  Maybe that is more the true. We may not be free of all types of afflictions, but why would there be a need for us to endure them? Do we forget who God is? Do we just go about living in our affliction, suffering, moaning and groaning without even discussing it with God? Would we rather take our affliction to some doctor type and look for our help from him, that to take it to God? Is our faith more in modern science then in the God who created us? The psalmist comes to grips with the fact God does not change and therefore it is we who do the changing. God is always there to help the oppressed. God is always there to free the prisoners and to release those condemned to death. God is always in the assembly of the righteous, he is near. Even when all the earth and the heavens perish, God will remain, so then why do we not simply believe he will save us from any affliction, heal us, cure us, protect us, provide for us and give us the direction of our life? We do! God does not abandon us. God does not turn a deaf ear to our plea. God waits for us to seek him for every aspect of our life. God desires we come to him for every affliction which comes our way, for he will answer. Seek and we will find, knock and the door will be opened, ask and he will give. We just need to ask.