I Am Like a Lonely Bird

Psalm 102

"Hear my prayer, O Lord!
And let my cry for help come to you.
Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress;
Incline your ear to me;
In the day when I call answer me quickly.
For my days have been consumed in smoke,
And my bones have been scorched like a hearth.
My heart has been smitten like grass and has withered away,
Indeed, I forget to eat my bread.
Because of the loudness of my groaning
my bones cling to my flesh.
I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
I lie awake.
I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop."

Have you ever felt like a lonely bird on a housetop? I have. Have you ever felt like your heart has withered away? I have. Sometimes I think the Psalms have been written for those who have suffered and felt alone. When David felt that way he told God all about it, and God has made sure these prayers of David and other people were saved for all the ages.

The 102nd Psalm seems depressing, yet the very next chapter begins:
"Bless the Lord O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of his benefits;
Who pardons all your sins.

Whenever David talks about his troubles he ends up praising God for all his benefits. Let's never forget God's gifts to us, especially his presence in our lives.