From today's devotional
Psalm 102 is like a two-sided coin. On one side we see the nature of man presented to us. And what is man? He is weak, he is needy, he is destitute, he is transient, and he is passing. This goes on and on verse after verse. But then the coin flips in verse twelve:
But You, O LORD, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of Your name to all generations. (Psalms 102:12 NKJV)
Here, on the other side of the coin, the nature of God is given to us. And here's what we see: We see that He is the opposite of all that we are. He is powerful, He is mighty, He is sufficient, He is eternal and everlasting. He is what we aren't.
The structure of this Psalm, with its two contrasting sides, can serve as a valuable lesson to us. It shows us just how unlike God we really are. In fact, we are completely opposite of God.
Sure, as Christ comes inside of us we are made more and more into God's image and likeness. But in essence, in our natural and fleshly condition, we are trapped on one side of the coin, and any good in our lives is only because the Lord has intervened.
When all is said and done, it's not what we bring to the table that counts, but what God brings to the table. All we can ever bring is weakness, inability, and deficiency. On the other hand, God brings strength, ability, and sufficiency. Let's follow the flow of Psalm 102 and shift our focus in life from ourselves to our great God.
All-powerful Father, You are everything that we aren't. Enable us to focus on Your sufficiency instead of on our own deficiencies and shortcomings.
Psalm 102 is like a two-sided coin. On one side we see the nature of man presented to us. Here, on the other side of the coin, the nature of God is given to us.
Think about it...
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
