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Following in the footsteps of the Acts of the
Apostles, written by St. Luke, Shepherd's Cross Christian Helps Ministry
exists by the grace of God to further the first century Apostolic tradition
serving in the Great Commission. |
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Psalm 102
Prayer Of An Oppressed Man Growing Faint Pouring Out His Lament Before The Lord
Pay attention to my cry for help! Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! Listen to me! When I call out to you, quickly answer me! I happen to stop in at my favorite restaurant the other day for a warm home style cooked meal. While sitting in a booth waiting for my order to arrive via a waitress, a family consisting of a father, mother, a sister and a brother happened to sit at an adjacent table to me. As I watched them, I became keenly aware that the event that was unfolding before my eyes may very much be the future of the American family dinner experience. The Father was reading a newspaper. The two siblings were in the midst of entertaining themselves via cell phone and I-Pod. I can not recall what the mother was doing. As I got more intrigued about what was going on at the table I observed that the daughter began seeking the attention of her parents. At the time the father was absorbed in the current news of the day more than responding to his daughter. As she continued to tug at him, she began to whine, “Dad, Dad.” The more she attempted to get his attention the deeper her father seemed to apply either his concentration or simply his ability at ignoring her. The three lines that David wrote regarding his cry for help upon the Lord, pay attention, do not ignore me and listen to me, seemed to be the cry of this child as well. I went to the restroom in order to wash my hands before my meal. In the time it took me to return to my table they were gone. The table was cleaned and another party of customers was sitting where this family had earlier been. Just as quickly as I arrived at this restaurant, observed this family’s interpersonal relationship, left the table to wash my hands and to return to my table to observe another party sitting where they once were is how quickly a life changing event may occur. Regarding Psalm 102 “The whole composition may be compared to a day which, opening with wind and rain, clears up at noon and is warm with the sun, continues fine, with intervening showers, and finally closes with a brilliant sunset.” Treasury of David by Charles Spurgeon Stilling of a Storm As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. So they came and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” But he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was dead calm. And the men were amazed and said, “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:23-27 On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him. Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!” Mark 4:35-41 Like the family in the restaurant, everyone in the boat seemed to be occupied entertaining themselves. Then suddenly, as with the little girl, and in this case, a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped, a crisis may occur leaving the parties involved absent of control. Pay attention to my cry for help! Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! Listen to me! When I call out to you, quickly answer me! In Matthew’s account he writes, “So they came and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” Mark’s account states, “They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” When the apostles followed Jesus into the boat that was exactly what the apostles were thinking. Having been fishermen and having lived in Capernaum, it was routine to go across the Galilean Sea. Jesus was comfortable enough to go to the stern of the boat he was in and accompanying himself with a cushion began to rest. No big deal. Then suddenly a great windstorm developed on the sea so that the waves were breaking into the boat. The menacing windstorm that the disciples suddenly found themselves in was real. With the waves high enough to "swamp" the boats, which means to fill the boat with water enough to sink the vessel, again this was grave. Initially they heard Jesus state to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” Now within a short time it may have seen to them that what had earlier appeared to be a routine voyage across a familiar Sea had pass quickly into a life or death mission. Fear of impending doom clutched their hearts. What really had happened was that they did not have faith in the words of Jesus. O Lord, hear my prayer! Pay attention to my cry for help! Do not ignore me in my time of trouble! Listen to me! When I call out to you, quickly answer me! Paul and Company Sail for Rome When it was decided we would sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. We went on board a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various ports along the coast of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. After we had sailed across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. With difficulty we sailed along the coast of Crete and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. Acts 27:1-8 Caught in a Violent Storm Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast was already over, Paul advised them, “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end in disaster and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” But the centurion was more convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there. They hoped that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they could carry out their purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete. Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island. When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, thus letting themselves be driven along. The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, they began throwing the cargo overboard, and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. Acts 27: 9 -20 Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss. And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’ Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.” Acts 27:21-26 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear. Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. Acts 27:27-32 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons on the ship.) When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea. Acts 27:33-37 Paul Is Shipwrecked When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach. But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves. Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to land. Acts 27:39-42 Even though that an angel of the God appeared to Paul the Apostle promising him that God had graciously granted Paul the safety of all who were sailing with him, Paul still strongly exhorted all in the boat “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’ Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island.” Acts 27:21-26 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep. Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear. Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. Acts 27:27-32 Paul had learned to believe in the Lord’s word. The apostles were learning. My heart is parched and withered like grass, for I am unable to eat food. Because of the anxiety that makes me groan, my bones protrude from my skin. I am like an owl in the wilderness; I am like a screech owl among the ruins. I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof. All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses. For I eat ashes as if they were bread, and mix my drink with my tears, because of your anger and raging fury. Indeed, you pick me up and throw me away. My days are coming to an end, and I am withered like grass. But you, O Lord, rule forever, and your reputation endures. Paul’s Sufferings for Christ I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness. Since many are boasting according to human standards, I too will boast. For since you are so wise, you put up with fools gladly. For you put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly toward you, if someone strikes you in the face. (To my disgrace I must say that we were too weak for that!) But whatever anyone else dares to boast about (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times. Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, in hard work and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing. Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with indignation? If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to arrest me, but I was let down in a rope-basket through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands. 2 Corinthians 11:16-33 Paul’s Thorn In The Flesh It is necessary to go on boasting. Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up into paradise and heard things too sacred to be put into words, things that a person is not permitted to speak. On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me, even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble me – so that I would not become arrogant. I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 I am like an owl in the wilderness; I am like a screech owl among the ruins. I stay awake; I am like a solitary bird on a roof. Paul’s Motivation Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David; such is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship to the point of imprisonment as a criminal, but God’s message is not imprisoned! So I endure all things for the sake of those chosen by God, that they too may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and its eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:8-10 “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity still in the cloud, the oil still in the earth. How often we look upon God as our last and feeblest resource! We go to Him because we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.” George MacDonald The second portion, from Ps 102:12-28, has a vision of better things, a view of the gracious Lord, and his eternal existence, and care for his people, and therefore it is interspersed with sunlight as well as shaded by the cloud, and it ends up right gloriously with calm confidence for the future, and sweet restfulness in the Lord. Treasury of David Charles Spurgeon Psalm 23 A Psalm Of David. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He takes me to lush pastures; he leads me to refreshing water. He restores my strength. He leads me down the right paths for the sake of his reputation. Even when I must walk through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff reassure me. You prepare a feast before me in plain sight of my enemies. You refresh my head with oil; my cup is completely full. Surely your goodness and faithfulness will pursue me all my days and I will live in the Lord’s house for the rest of my life. |
Shepherd's Cross Christian Helps Ministry