Psalm 102

The phrase "it came to pass" is one of my favorites in scripture because it reminds me that nothing lasts forever.  No matter the trouble, whether illness, financial problems, relationship issues, job situations, grief, etc. it will eventually come to an END, and praise the Lord for THAT!!

We wrap up our study of the psalms of lament with Psalm 102.  It was written by an anonymous author at an unknown time, but its message is timeless.  The psalmist pours out his heart to God with phrases like "my bones burn like a furnace," "my heart is afflicted and withered like grass," "[I] mingle my drinks with tears," and "You have picked me up and thrown me aside."  His troubles have hit him with a triple whammy -- they've afflicted him physically, emotionally and spiritually and he is worn OUT.

I know the feeling.

It's now November, and the past couple of Novembers haven't been all that good for me.  In fact, they've been downright BAD.  For the past two years I have spent Thanksgiving week in the hospital recovering from surgery.  And now it's November, and my mind is beginning to wander...

I envision the hospital rooms, and the view from each one.  I hear the hum of the heater and the growl of the hospital bed's motor.  I smell the antiseptics.  I feel the soft hospital gown and the starched bed sheets.  I taste the crunchy ice chips... and I wonder, what will THIS November hold for me?  Will I lay awake at night staring at the ceiling of a hospital room while I pensively examine my life?  Will I thank the nurse for tending my IV as I silently question God? Will I spend another Christmas holiday on Percoset in flannel pajama pants under a blanket in my chair?  Will I have to ask Sarah to shop for the bland foods that we know I can tolerate?  Will I be gingerly shuffling through my house again?  Will my sister Janet and my bff Susan L. have to put up my Christmas decorations for the THIRD YEAR in a ROW?

Since I've spent the past two winters recovering from surgeries, I've spent the last two winters wrestling with affliction-- physical affliction which led to mental affliction which led to spiritual affliction!  The Lord has created us in such an amazing way - body, soul and spirit - and when one of those areas gets out of sync it's easy for the others to follow suit.  At least it is for ME!  And it seemed it was that way for our psalmist too, but he didn't wallow in his sorrows for long.  He eventually turned his eyes from his situation to his God.

He acknowledges some of God's attributes: His eternal nature, His compassion, His grace, His forbearance, His love and His transcendence.  He closes the psalm with the understanding that heaven and earth will pass away, but Almighty God will remain the same and His years would never end.  What a comforting thought, that no matter what kind of craziness happens to us here, God never changes and He always acts in a way that is consistent with His character.

As I listened to my friends discuss this psalm, the Lord brought to mind a passage in 2 Corinthians where Paul explains that our afflictions are being used not only to draw US closer to God, but for others to see God work in our lives so that THEY will draw close to Him as well.  Paul writes, "Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary afflictions are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor 4:16-18)

Afflictions are intended to draw us closer to God, but the results are often otherwise.  Instead of becoming Christlike, we become cranky.  Instead of becoming faithful we become fickle.  Instead of becoming patient we become petulant.

We need to remind ourselves one day we’ll be in Heaven and we’ll look back at this time in our lives with greater understanding.  We may be able to see how God used events in our lives to impact the lives of others.  When we can accept that God knows better than we do and remember that it WILL come to pass, we will be able to walk the path of affliction with grace and peace and confidence, and we will emerge with our faith strengthened.  When we become angry with God for allowing such hardship in our lives, the path of affliction can become one of contempt, anxiety and distrust.  The choice is ours to make: let affliction refine us or it will embitter us.

And so I look at the new page on my calendar, “NOVEMBER 2009” and I remember… and I wonder… and I choose to trust because regardless of what the month holds for me, I know that God is faithful and is working in ways I can’t understand.  What an honor it would be to get to Heaven and find out that somebody was there because of an experience I had.  And maybe the Lord would begin the story, “it came to pass…”