During the worst days of the coronavirus, it was heartbreaking to see people’s bodies quickly waste away. They seemed fit and healthy one day, yet within a short time the sickness made them barely recognisable. Have you ever suffered to the point of your pain being plain for all to see? The heading of Psalm 102, “A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord,” tells us about someone in such a condition.

The first part of the psalm is bracketed by the words “my days” (vv. 3, 11). The psalmist vividly describes how he feels. His life has been cut short. He’s been reduced to skin and bones. He’s lost his appetite. He can’t sleep at night. And he feels lonely and abandoned. He believes he’s enduring God’s anger, although he makes no mention of any personal sin. Has he succumbed to the mistaken idea that sickness is always because of sin? It seems that this person had friends who thought that way. So they rejected him and cursed him (v. 8).

This suffering saint then lifts his eyes to the God he feels has thrown him aside (vv. 12–22). He sees his own sorrow reflected in the suffering of his city Jerusalem. But he knows God will restore the city at the right time (v. 13). One day the descendants of the city’s inhabitants will praise God for His compassion, and all peoples will assemble there “to worship the Lord” (v. 22). So the psalmist knows he can trust his faithful God to answer the prayer of the destitute (v. 17).

Finally, the psalmist returns to his own plight (vv. 23–28). He contrasts the shortness of his days with God’s eternity, but finds comfort in how God will never perish or change (v. 26). His great hope is that when God makes all things new, “the children of [His] servants will live in [His] presence” (v. 28), their safety guaranteed by His everlasting love. The book of Revelation gives us a glorious picture of the reversal of all we read about in this psalm, of God’s new creation without sickness, sorrow, and sin.

The New Testament letter to the Hebrews applies the last words of the psalm (vv. 25–27) to Jesus. He is the eternal Son of God who created everything—and while it will all finally perish, His “years will never end” (Hebrews 1:10–12). Jesus will remain the same (Psalm 102:27). This gives us great confidence. Like the heavens and the earth, we will wear out like a garment, but because we’re the servants of Jesus, we know we’ll live in His presence (v. 28).

Do you feel old age creeping up on you? Does it seem that sickness and sorrow are your daily diet? Do you feel “like a bird alone on a roof” (v. 7), bereft of friends? Then turn your eyes to Jesus. He’s enthroned for ever. He never changes. He hears the groans of His people. He hasn’t deserted you or tossed you out. His compassion for you was shown in His death on the cross. One day you’ll be made new and dwell with Him for ever.