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Psalm 102:1-11
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.

Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof. All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.

Life delivers striking blows. Staggering shots; jolts that slam on the brakes and bring us to a screeching halt. Separation. Divorce. A prodigal child. Death. Grief. An illness that takes us down. These things overwhelm our emotions and take over our minds. While the world speeds by, we live in what seems like a state of slow motion.

Today’s psalm is the “prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD.” The writer cries out for help.  “Do not hide your face from me….”  “Answer me quickly.” The burden is so all-consuming that the natural craving for food is forgotten.

Can you relate to the psalmist? Can you relate to the cries, pleading and groans? Do you feel like the psalmist—like a bird alone on a roof? This is not the end of the psalm. We will continue the prayer tomorrow. But for today, pour out all that is on your heart. Let God know how you feel—scared, exhausted, overwhelmed, alone. Your raw honesty will open your heart to hear His voice. He is there with you and will never leave.

Father, I cry out to You. Sometimes I don’t even know what to say. So I share my raw emotions. I long for Your intervention and peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.