The Suffering King

Psalm 72:12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.

The Psalms are so wonderful as they unfold the love of God. In the verse above we read about the needy and afflicted ones. Psalm 102 is an example of an extended prayer of a very needy person as he cries out.

Psalm 102:1 A Prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, And let my cry come to You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning My bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I lie awake, And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.

When I read these words, I cannot help but think of the Lord Jesus as He hung upon the cross. In Hebrews, we read of Him as our mediator, our high priest, who was tempted and suffered in every way as we do, yet without sin. In Philippians we find the Christ learning obedience through what He suffered.

In Psalm 72, it is the king who answers the cry of the needy, and in Psalm 102, it is the King of kings Himself who is the needy one. Oh the wisdom and compassion of God our creator, who stopped at nothing to bring us salvation, not even sparing His own Son!

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Father, thank You so much for not sparing Your Son, but sending Him to die in our place. Forgive me, Lord, when forgetting all Your past mercies and faithfulness, I complain about my lot. Help me never to forget that Jesus hung and died on the cross for me. In Him, Amen.