Hurting

One of the wonderful things about the Bible is that it provides so much support and instruction. The Bible also contains many songs, poems, and explanations that shed light on life, and they provide the words to describe our situations when we perhaps seem speechless. Have you ever felt speechless? You find yourself in some situation that you just don’t even know what to make of, but you just know you don’t like how you’re feeling about it.
A great place to go when you are feeling this way is to the book of Psalms in the Old Testament. There you will find some Psalms that describe the highest highs, but you will also find some that describe some of the lowest lows. With a little bit of searching, you are likely to find a Psalm that will cause you to say, “Yes, that’s exactly how I’m feeling right now!” Those words are a blessing to/for us.

Here is a good example. Psalm 102 was written by someone feeling very low, and not afraid to talk about it. This kind of Psalm is called a lament and when you read it you will understand why (it’s possible it was written when the Israelites had been defeated and carried off to Babylon in exile). Here are the first five verses of Psalm 102:

A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer, 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 In my distress I groan aloud
and am reduced to skin and bones.

Wow! How would you describe the frame of mind of the one speaking? Notice how this bad situation is impacting the author’s emotions, outlook on life and even his overall health. You can probably relate to that, and certainly health professionals would agree how situations can have multiple adverse reactions.
Think about how the author’s spiritual life is connected to his physical wellbeing. Do you sometimes find yourself frightened, mad or just upset and you can immediately feel it in your body (ache in your stomach, headache, tension)?

Why would the author even imply that God has hidden his face or is not listening? How about you? Do you sometimes feel like you cry out to God but He isn’t listening? Jump further down in the Psalm and find this:
Psalm 102:18-22
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.    

What is the hopeful outcome here? Why should the original audience talk about the tough times they are experiencing?

Sometimes God’s answer to your prayer is through the people around you!

4832 Ponderings:

• Why should you share with future generations the tough times as well as the message of God’s faithfulness?
• What might be the benefit of working through the feelings of this passage with a group of people?
• How might this scripture passage impact a problem you are currently facing?

We conclude with the words of a simple song meant to be repeated over and over:

O Lord, Hear My Prayer
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer:
When I call answer me.
O Lord, hear my prayer, O Lord, hear my prayer:
Come and listen to me.
Jacques Berthier from the Taizé community

You can listen to a video recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-2WZFf_uAc