Psalm 102:12-17 - October 5, 2009

Ps 102:12-17 "But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. 13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. 14 For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. 15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. 16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. 17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea." NIV

Within this passage there is a wealth of thought provoking truth. Verse 12 begins with a reminder of the eternal glory of God. “Your renown endures through all generations.” Truly our God has done such great and mighty deeds that for all of recorded history and for every generation that is to come His deeds will be remembered. Many people do significant things that are remembered for a season. People praise the bravery, wisdom or the wonder of what was done but after a few years no one remembers, no one tells the story any more. One of the powerful realities about the Almighty God is that the deeds that He has done are universally remembered in the nations of the earth from one generation to another. Movies have been made, songs written, dramas created all to tell the stories of glory! Truly God is famous for all generations!
One of the priceless realities of God is that He has not just left us a book full of stories to read and remember what He has done in some previous generation. The story of God continues to be written today. In every nation of the earth God is still at work today calling men to himself, and raising up a testimony for His glory. This passage draws our attention to one of the principles of his ageless involvement in the lives of men. Verse 13 draws our attention to the reality that in God there are times and seasons. He moves in every generation as He sees fit and in response to the prayerful obedience of His people. He watches over us and is attentive to our cry and at the “appointed time” He rises up to act and deliver, heal or revive. It is important that we not lose sight of God’s timing in regard to our lives. He allows trials to continue for a season as He refines, purifies and develops character but then the time to act comes. The favor of God is only a moment away and when the favor of God comes the walls of resistance come tumbling down. That which was inconceivable in one moment is gloriously manifest in the very next moment. Consider the time of Isaiah when he told the king as they were besieged by their enemies and were running out of supplies that by the same time tomorrow the famine would be completely broken. Some scoffed but the time of God’s favor had come and complete deliverance
came forth.
God in His wisdom is an artful orchestrator of the affairs of men. He knew perfectly how to deliver the people of God in such a way that no man could take the glory. By delivering so dramatically He not only delivers His people and builds up their confidence but His fame in the earth is increased and the peoples who serve other Gods are caused to tremble in awe of His mighty acts! The work of God is advanced every time He performs a miraculous deliverance in response to the prayers of His people. It is so important during our difficult times that we turn to God in our trials not away from Him in our pain. God will come! God will move! His timing may stretch out faith but there is an appointed time of favor that we must not lose sight of as we walk with Him. Call upon the Lord and He WILL answer!