Read Psalms 102 in the King James Bible (opens in a new tab)
Psalm 102 is a prayer from deep affliction, where a suffering believer pours out grief honestly before the LORD and begs Him to hear. The psalmist describes loneliness, physical weakness, and a sense of life fading, yet he refuses to conclude that sorrow is the final word. The turning point is God Himself: though the psalmist is fragile and changing, the LORD remains enthroned forever, and His purposes for Zion will surely stand. The chapter widens from personal pain to covenant hope—God will arise to have mercy on Zion, gather the nations, and be praised by generations yet unborn. It ends with a sober contrast: human days may be shortened, but God is the unchanging Creator whose years never end, and therefore His servants’ children can dwell secure.
Psalms 102:1 - 102:28
1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the day [when] I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day [when] I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; [and] they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days [are] like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
12 But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise, [and] have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.
14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.
16 When the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.
19 For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth;
20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
21 To declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;
22 When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years [are] throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.