Thank you very much, Esther.
My name is Alistair, the privilege of being the assistant pastor,
and it is a joy to be with you this morning.
But life isn't always a joy, is it?
As we read that psalm, maybe you got a hint of what I'm speaking about.
So I'd like to ask us a question.
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt that literally
you were walking through the valley of the shadow of death?
Those times in life where it's just so difficult.
Everything seems to be against you.
You feel all by yourself and unable to help.
You're all alone.
And the pain keeps on piling on top of you.
A man named William Carey went through that very experience.
As a young man, he founded a missionary organization here in the UK
and then traveled to India.
And in the first seven years that he was there, his son died
and his wife's mental health deteriorated very rapidly.
So he went through real times of pain and suffering and despair.
But this is what he said in those times.
This is indeed the valley of the shadow of death to me.
But I rejoice that I am here notwithstanding and God is here with me.
So the reason that Carey could go through his pain and stand firm in his faith
is because he had confidence in his God.
And we find similar stories, don't we, in the book of Psalms.
If you look at the Psalms, it's as if God has purposefully given us a book full of songs and poems
that resonate with every single area of life that we're in.
So if you are rejoicing and you can do nothing but praise God every single day,
there are Psalms for that.
If you're weak and tired and you just need God's help,
there are Psalms for that.
And if you are absolutely down and out,
you cannot continue and you are in the valley of despair with the walls closing in every second,
there are Psalms for that.
And we see one of them this morning in Psalm 102.
The writer is in pain.
It's as if he's looking over his own life and the life of the nation of Israel
and surveying the spiritual state of Israel,
and he cannot do anything but mourn and lament and despair.
But it's not all doom and gloom.
Because in the midst of his pain,
the Psalmist finds perspective.
That is what we see this morning.
Perspective in pain from Psalm 102.
So this Psalm will help us think about how we can suffer well
and go through pain with a godly perspective.
How we can have a view of God that carries us through those times of pain and struggle.
And we all need this Psalm.
Maybe you're in the middle of that valley
and you're wondering how to deal with it.
Maybe you know that that valley will come one day.
Or maybe you're on the mountaintop and there is no pain in sight.
Well then you need this Psalm just as much as everyone else
because you need to care for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are in pain.
In this Psalm, the writer tells us about the pain that he feels
and then the God that he knows.
So the first 11 verses that we see in this Psalm are the pain I feel.
Look at some of the language that the Psalmist uses to describe his physical and emotional pain
in verses 3 to 7.
My days vanish like smoke and my bones are like the embers.
His whole body is on fire.
It's as if there is a fire burning inside him.
There is no escape from this discomfort.
No relief from the pain that he feels.
The language that he uses,
it's as if his very bones are being charred by fire.
It's as if he's on a barbecue and he's being cooked alive.
That's how much pain he's in.
In verse 4,
my heart is blighted.
Or if you have an ESV, it says my heart is struck down.
He feels that he's been hit by a truck.
You know those times when you're so heartbroken that you can't bring yourself to do anything?
Those times where just getting out of bed is too overwhelming?
His heart is withered like grass.
Walk through parks in Edinburgh this afternoon and you'll see marks where people have used disposable barbecues.
The grass is brown.
It is dried up.
It is dead and it is withered.
That is how the psalmist feels.
Worn out.
Dried up.
And chewed up by his pain.
In so much distress that he says at the end of verse 4,
I even forget to eat.
You've probably had times like that, haven't you?
Where the last thing on your mind is food.
Life circumstances are all consuming that all of your energy and time is taken up with it.
Food tastes like dust.
You have no appetite.
That is what this psalmist is going through.
And it's been going on for a long time because in verse 5 he says,
I am reduced to skin and bones.
He is nothing but a shadow of his former self.
His skin clings to his bones.
He's almost a lifeless skeleton because of this pain.
In verses 6 and 7 he uses birds as an illustration of how alone he feels.
Like a desert owl that only comes out at night.
Surrounded by the nothingness of a wasteland.
Flying through the air in an empty place.
No companions.
No contact with others.
He feels isolated and alone.
He lies awake and he watches and he mourns because there is nothing to comfort him.
And to top it all off, verses 8 and 9, his enemies taunt him all day long and use his name as a curse word.
You can imagine, can't you, that the psalmist feels like a defenseless little animal surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.
With every second they seem to get closer and closer.
With every growl, with every bite, they are inflicting more pain.
Torment rules this man's life.
All of this makes him mourn and lament in verse 9.
In the Old Testament times, a person would mourn by putting ash on their head and tearing their clothes.
And that is what he does in verse 9.
Because of his pain, he says, I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears.
There is no respite for this man.
There is no rest, no comfort, just pain, pain and more pain.
And so what does he do in this time of distress and pain?
Well, verses 1 and 2, he cries out to God.
And you can hear his desperation, can't you?
He's pleading that God would hear and listen to his prayer.
These are the cries of a broken man.
A person who has come to the end of himself.
And he says in verse 1, Lord, hear my prayer, please.
Verse 2, turn your ear to me, answer quickly.
Where do you run in your times of distress and pain?
Our human tendency is to rely on our own strength.
To exhaust our own means or to try to fix things on our own.
Maybe that's because we've been told that we need to be independent and manage things by ourselves.
But the reality is that that will lead to frustration and disappointment.
When we focus on our pain and we moan about it, we're speaking to ourselves.
We're speaking to people who ultimately can't do anything about it.
What we should be doing is turning to God in prayer because he is the only one who can fix our problems.
Nothing is too big or unfixable for God.
When we turn to him, he is the only one who can make a difference.
But do you see how this psalmist pain and distress is magnified because of what it says at the end of verse 2?
Do not hide your face from me.
He feels that God has turned away and abandoned him.
Have you ever been in pain, either physical or emotional,
and all you want to do is spend time with someone?
You call your mom, but there's no answer.
You call your dad, but there's no answer.
You call your brother and your sister, but there is no answer.
With every single phone call, your distress becomes more and more.
All you want is someone to spend time with, someone to talk to, someone to comfort you,
but no one is around.
It feels as if every single ear that you know has been turned away.
That is how the psalmist feels.
That is his pain.
But he knows something about his pain.
Look at verses 10 to 11 with me.
And we see why the psalmist is in agony.
Because of your great wrath.
For you have taken me and thrown me aside.
My days are like the evening shadow.
I wither away like grass.
The pain that the psalmist feels is a result of God's wrath.
As we go through the psalm, we see that God's wrath is not just against him, the writer of this psalm,
but it is against the whole nation of Israel because of their sins and wrongdoing against God.
Now we don't know which particular part of Israel's history the psalm was written in,
and I don't think that we should guess or speculate.
If it was important, the psalmist would have told us.
But the point is that suffering that he is enduring is a result of sin.
And it is a result of rebellion against God.
The nation's defiance of God's law led to God judging them
and bringing them into times of pain and turmoil.
Now maybe you're sitting there thinking,
why on earth would I follow a God
who is so severe with people who disobey him?
That's a good question to ask.
But the truth is
that we all deserve this judgment.
Each and every one of us here this morning
is a sinful, broken human being
who has rebelled against and rejected God.
We all fall short of his perfect standard,
therefore we are all deserving of this wrath that we read about.
Somebody needs to take that punishment.
But do you know what?
Somebody has.
There is a man who willingly stood up to take God's wrath for everyone.
For all those who would follow him,
there is one who went through this very pain and agony in our place
and his name is Jesus Christ.
The psalmist is crying out in pain for God to listen to him.
And in the Garden of Gethsemane,
we see Jesus calling out to God
in emotional agony
as he sees the cross just hours away.
The moment where he would bear God's wrath.
The very wrath that the psalmist is lamenting about.
Jesus took that
for those who follow him.
The psalmist is begging God to listen to him.
God, hear my cry.
And Jesus calls out to God and asks,
if it be possible,
take this cup,
take this wrath
from me.
The psalmist is in pain
because of the rebellion
against God.
And as Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane,
in so much pain
that his soul is sorrowful
to the point of death.
Why?
Because in just a few hours,
he would become subject
to the very wrath of God
against the sins of the world.
So the truth is
that we all deserve this kind of pain.
This kind of judgment.
But the wonderful news is
that Jesus took it in our place.
That is what we'll be celebrating
later on in our service
when we come to communion.
That Jesus bore God's wrath,
meaning that those who have put
their trust in him
don't have to.
Jesus paid it all.
All to him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain
and he washed it.
white as snow.
So if this is the case,
if Jesus took that punishment,
why on earth are we still suffering?
The suffering and pain
that we feel in this world today
are the effects
and consequences of sin.
We still live in a fallen,
broken, sin-stained world
and we will feel the pain of that.
But I want you to know
that God does not give people cancer
because they're a sinful person.
cancer is a disease
that is a result of us living
in a broken world
with broken bodies.
We will feel the effects of sin.
We will suffer the consequences
of our sinful desires
and actions.
And during those times,
we may think that God
has abandoned us.
We may think that we are all alone,
but the reality is
that God is right there with us
in the middle of our pain
and suffering.
So that is the pain
that the psalmist feel.
He feels.
But what is it that gives him perspective?
Well, it's the God that he knows.
In verses 12 to 28,
the God I know.
So you can see the turning point
in the psalm in verse 12,
can't you?
Despite his pain, he says,
but you, Lord,
sit enthroned forever.
Despite how his circumstances
might make him feel,
the truth is that God is in control
and no amount of suffering
will change that.
I read a poem this week
by Elizabeth Elliot
and it made me think of this psalm.
Elizabeth's husband,
Jim Elliot,
was trying to reach
a tribe in Ecuador
with the good news of Jesus.
And when his plane landed,
the tribe that he was trying to reach
came out and killed everyone on board.
Elizabeth later met the very people
who were responsible
for the death of her husband.
She knew pain.
But she too found her comfort in God.
Here are just a few lines
from that poem.
My father's way may twist and turn,
my heart may throb and ache,
but in my soul I'm glad to know
he maketh no mistake.
Though night be dark
and it may seem that day will never break,
I'll pin my faith,
my all in him,
he maketh no mistake.
Her understanding of who God was,
who God is,
gave her perspective in her pain
and helped her through it.
That is what the psalmist is telling us here
in Psalm 102.
The truth that God is in control
comforts him
because he knows that God is faithful
and that God has promised time and time again
that a day would come
when Israel will be restored.
That's why,
even in his pain,
he can say with absolute confidence
in verse 13,
you will arise
and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to show favor to her.
The appointed time has come.
So God is the one
who has brought this time of affliction on them.
But God does not leave his people in pain.
It might seem that God has turned away
and that makes the whole nation reflect
on their sin and their lives.
But there is always light
at the end of the tunnel
because God promised them a future.
A time when God's people
will dwell in God's place
under God's rule.
The character of God
gives the psalmist perspective
because he knows
that there is an appointed time
where God will show favor.
Are you here this morning?
And as you look out
at the global church,
you can't help but mourn.
Things are not as they should be.
The church is not united.
Faithful teaching seems to be
on the decline in certain areas.
Obedience to God's word
is no longer a given.
The church might seem weak
and hurting.
The truth is that God is faithful.
God's people have always
had their enemies.
Israel had the Babylonians
and more.
In Jesus' time,
it was Rome.
Since then,
the church has faced
massive persecution
and attacks on all fronts.
But the wonderful truth
that keeps us going,
the wonderful truth
that should give us
confidence and perspective
as we struggle on for God
is that Jesus Christ
is building his church
and the very gates of hell
will not prevail against it.
God is on his throne.
Nothing will overcome him.
And on that day
when God restores
the nation of Israel,
verse 15,
it will lead to all the nations
praising God.
They will fear the Lord
and revere his glory.
If the world gets
but a glimpse,
a tiny glimpse
of God's power,
of God's glory,
of his goodness
and his faithfulness,
they will be able
to do nothing else
than praise his name
for the rest of their days.
And this is all written
so that we can sit here
and understand
the wonderful news
of the faithful God
who is sovereignly
controlling this world
and we can praise him.
Verse 18 says,
Let this be written
for a future generation
that a people
not yet created
may praise the Lord.
That is us this morning
as God's church
here in Edinburgh.
This is written
so that Brunsfield Evangelical Church
may praise the Lord.
But our praise
and our rejoicing in God
is even greater
than that of the psalmist
because of verses 19 and 20.
He says,
The Lord looked down
from his sanctuary on high.
From heaven he viewed the earth.
Why?
To hear the groans
of the prisoners
and to release those
condemned to death.
God didn't look down
from his sanctuary on high
to see the fame
or creativity
of mankind.
God looks down
to hear the groans
of prisoners.
God cares
and listens
to those
who are tied up
but he does more
than just listen.
He releases
those condemned
to death.
The Bible says
that all people
who are living
in rebellion
against God
are on a path
that leads
to death
and punishment.
Every single human
being born
into this world
is at odds
with God.
But God looks.
God listens.
And God looses
the chains
that bind
our sinful hearts.
And that is what
we see in Jesus.
God in the flesh
stooped down
from his place
of glory
and honor
in heaven
in the presence
of God
and stepped
into our
sin-stained
broken
corrupt world.
He lived
the perfect life
died the death
that we deserve.
Why?
So that we can
be free
to serve him.
Free from
the chains
of sin
that shackle
our hearts
and free
from the sentence
of hell.
As Christians
we are no longer
dead in our sins
but we have been
made alive
through Christ.
We've been
taken from
the deepest
dungeons
of judgment
and been given
a seat in the
palace of the
king.
We are now
called children
of God.
Therefore
as Christians
we have all
the more reason
to rejoice
than the
psalmist
because this
very promise
has been
fulfilled in
Jesus.
that is the
perspective
that will
carry you
through every
trial and
hardship.
That is the
truth that
will keep you
anchored in
every storm.
Jesus is the
only one who
can break the
chains of sin
that bind you
and he sets
you free.
He is the
only one who
can reconcile
us to God.
God.
Now if you're
here this
morning and
you are not
a Christian
would you
listen to
that wonderful
news?
That God
has made it
possible through
Jesus Christ
for you to go
from being dead
to have real
life.
Would you
listen to
Jesus and put
your trust in
him?
Because without
Jesus you are
still a prisoner
to your sin.
And on the
day that the
Lord comes and
judges the
world nothing
will save you
from God's
wrath but the
blood of Jesus
Christ shed on
the cross for
the world.
Will you repent
and put your
trust in Jesus?
And in verse
23 it seems
that the
psalmist almost
comes back down
to earth.
He comes back
to his pain and
the situation in
the nation of
Israel.
And he
remembers that
all of this is
God's doing.
And so he
prays in verses
24 to 28.
And in this
prayer he focuses
on some of the
attributes of
God that give
him perspective
in his pain
because he knows
that God is
with him.
Verse 24
He is a God
whose years go
beyond all
generations.
Creation is
just one
demonstration of
how powerful
and in
control God
is.
God speaks
light into
being.
He created
the land
that we live
on, the sun
that gives us
warmth, the moon
and stars which
light up the sky
at night.
They are God's
handiwork.
We haven't even
begun to fully
understand or
explore the
fullness of this
earth.
But what does it
say in verse 25?
God laid his
very foundations.
That is how
powerful he is.
Verse 26
He is everlasting.
There is no end
to his days.
No end to his
reign.
And verse 27
He remains the
same.
Think about that
one for a second.
Why do these
truths of the
character of God
bring the
psalmist
perspective in
his pain?
How can these
truths give us
perspective as we
suffer today?
Well they give us
perspective because
we know that
regardless of what
situation we are
going through,
regardless of what
life may throw at
us, our
situations do not
determine God's
love and favour
for his people.
Even when we
suffer we can
know that God is
unchanging.
Our suffering does
not change God.
He is compassionate
and loving.
He is in
control and he
is faithful.
These attributes
of God should give
us perspective in
pain because this
is the wonderful
God that we know
and serve.
This is the God
who is standing
right with you in
your pain and
suffering.
God is faithful
and he has
promised and
what he has
promised he
will bring to
pass.
Therefore we
live, we
camp in the
promise of
verse 28.
The children of
your servant will
live in your
presence, their
descendants will
be established
before you.
Now I know
that some of us
are here this
morning are in
pain.
I know that
there are times
in our lives
where we may
feel that God
has abandoned
us.
But friends,
the truth is
that God has
not walked
away.
God has not
left us to
fight any storm
by ourselves.
When the
difficulties and
pain of life
come crushing
down on us,
God is right
there with us
in the midst
of our pain
and suffering.
base your
life on the
wonderful truth
of verse 28.
That there is
a day when
all of this
pain and
suffering that
we feel now
will be gone.
There will be
a day where
pain will be
but a distant
memory.
Tears will be
no more.
Peace will
reign in the
land as God
dwells with
his people
forever.
A day where
the effects of
sin has
have been
stopped and
we are with
God.
That is the
future that I
long for.
That is the
future that
awaits you this
morning as a
follower of
Jesus Christ.
That is how
we have
perspective in
our pain.
We remember
the God that
we know.
The God who
has revealed
himself to us
in his word,
the Bible.
The God who
listens and
loves his
people and
the God
who has
promised to
be with us
in our
pain until
the very
end.
God has
not left
you.
God is
faithful.
He never
changes and
his promises
to always be
with you and
always be with
those who love
and obey him.
God is
in your
times of
pain in
this world.
Be
comforted by
the wonderful
truths of
the amazing
God that
you know.
That is the
only way we
can endure
because we
have the
living God
by our
side.
Let's pray
together.
Just in a
moment of
silence,
maybe you
want to
bring your
prayers before
the Lord.
Bring your
prayers of
adoration and
confession that
you need his
strength and
his help.
Before the
throne of
God above,
I have a
strong, a
perfect plea,
a great high
priest whose
name is love,
who ever
lives and
pleads for
me.
Jesus, we
thank you
that we do
not have to
suffer God's
wrath because
you bore that
wrath on the
cross.
We thank you
that even
though we may
suffer in this
world, that we
can know that
you are right
there with us.
God, we
thank you for
who you are.
Holy Spirit, we
thank you that you
dwell within
believers and you
remind us of the
wonderful promises
of who God is.
God is.
God, forgive us
for the times
where we forget
to focus on
you.
And we ask
that you would
lift our eyes
to the glorious
truth and let
us be in awe
of the wonder
of the cross
and the beauty
of the gospel
of Jesus Christ
in whose holy
and precious name
we pray.
Amen.