Perspective in Pain

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 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.

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

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.