When I Am Afflicted - Psalm 102:1-14,24-28

The author of this psalm is unknown. The central theme of this psalm is considered to be a prayer of the afflicted. In order to grow his confidence the writer is assured that even though heaven and earth perish, the Lord who created them shall endure forever. His afflictions may be a hindrance along life’s pathway; however because of the enduring power of God there is always hope for the future.

In our inflictions of this day we have found from our experience and from the teachings of this writer that there is only one source of dependable relief and that source is located and enlisted through our prayers. Any person with afflictions must believe in prayer and know that God hears and answers prayers offered according to His plan. We must understand that a profitable prayer is not an assortment of words arranged as a request made to God. Rather, the prayer of the afflicted is an attitude of mind and soul that is totally dependent upon the will of Almighty God. It is an interment conversation with a higher power that has the ability to answer legitimate request.

This prayer requires ultimate faith and belief that God hears and will answer the prayer of an afflicted person. Note the intimate, direct approach this writer uses to address God. He said, “Lord, hear me.” You “hear my prayer.” “Let my plea come before you.” This writer was related to the Lord on a personal basis.

The personal and individual use of the name of God—Yahweh—was not ordinarily or commonly used on a daily basis with the common Jewish people. However you can see that this writer was related to the Lord on a personal basis. He prayed believing that mercy and help came directly from Yahweh to the distressed. The distressed and God were related on a personal basis.

The Jewish people depended upon the priest to go to God for them. They were usually not on a first-name-basis with God individually. However, we see here a new direct connection between the distressed and God. The devout could go directly to Yahweh through prayer. Oh, how important this is to the modern day Christian. We do not have to depend upon another person…a member of the priesthood…to intercede for us. We can call upon God to look at our problem, see our condition, and know our needs from first hand communication with us.

The problems faced by the author were heart afflicted, painful problems that were classified as physical, mental, and emotional and gave the example of the broad scope of needs that Christians have even in our world today.

It helps us to know more about this situation when we understand that this psalm was written during a low ebb tide in Jewish history. It was the period while they were under Babylonian captivity. The writer’s hope shines through that day’s darkest clouds and the psalmist depends upon God to intervene and deliver him during these dark and difficult times. We can relate to this because it appears that God was ignoring the writer’s call for help. God’s silence caused him to cry louder in his cries out to God for help in his days of affliction.

The writing of this lesson by your teacher comes during some of the most difficult days of my Christian walk and for this reason the lesson is more relevant to me than many that I try to teach. My greatest difficulties come as health problems that are interfering with a normal daily life. I am becoming more unable to do the things that I wanted to do in my declining years. I have been fortunate to receive help from the medical profession because it has been available to me; however I have been unfortunate in that I have found their ability to help has continued to fail in my declining years and time of physical trouble.

I have been able to see through this study an unwavering hope. Thomas Brooks said that “Hope can see heaven through the thickest clouds.” Believing this, my only hope remains for God to hear my prayers when I pray for God to look in my face, see my condition, and bless me according to my deeds only if I am willing to use improved conditions for the benefit of God’s kingdom work.

Even in the midst of my darkest hours, I still have a steadfast hope in God. I think that one of the main ideas of this lesson was to teach us that the psalmist depends upon God to intervene and deliver him in the midst of dark and difficult days. When I personalize this lesson it makes me realize that I have reached the place in my troubled life that I must now depend upon God to intervene in any improvements that are to be realized. My hope no longer lies in neither the ability of surgeons to remove obstructions; nor neurosurgeons to block the pain pathways through my body, nor the ability of any medical knowledge available through specialized training. The only hope I have left is that God will see fit to use his supernatural power to make life worth living. The least that I can do is to promise Him that I will use any new or extended ability afforded to grow his kingdom and praise and honor Him. Thank God I can relate with this writer of old.

In 102-3, we it is easy for us to see that this crises had brought a heavy physical toll upon the writer’s body. He was loosing the years of his life under this stress. His physical life was wasting away. His days left on earth were vanishing like smoke before him. His bones were burning like glowing embers, as if fire were burning his body.

Please, I do not wish to make you feel sorry for me, but at my age and in my physical condition, I have some of the same feelings described by this writer. I do want you to understand that a time like this may be your experience soon and you need to know the importance of prayer in your personal life. The day may soon come when prayer is the only source left that can provide any relief.

Am I the only one that feels that I am living in a day much like that of the ancient psalmist? If you will be honest, I doubt that I am the only one, and you may also agree. God’s glory is being obscured, his Word is surely neglected, and far too often and in too many places his house is abandoned and religious work is stalled. Go to the church and see that exposition is being replaced with entertainment—Theology is giving way to theatrics and the Word is caving into the world. The rich hymns of doctrine that once focused on the cross have give way to crossover contemporary music that barely mentions Christ and the cross.

We are not sure what all of the psalmist problems were, but he had not been well. Have you ever been sick or disabled for an extended period of time? How did that experience affect your fellowship with God? Why do you think God let the psalmist suffer affliction? Did his suffering push him from or draw him closer to the Lord? What is happening in your life? Are you allowing physical pain and emotional suffering to draw you closer to God? Or do you blame God for your problems and let them drive you further away?

The title of the lesson today is WHEN I AM AFFLICTED. Maybe I should have made it a question that asked; WHEN I AM AFFLICTED WHAT SHOUD I DO? I like this. The Psalmist answered the question…hear him please. He said, God, I am hurting, hear me please. Listen to me. No matter what my problem is, you are the only source of comfort. I hurt. I pray. You listen. You hear. You answer. You promised me that you would be ready to serve my need. You are the only answer whatever the need.