A SPARROW ALONE

" I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top." (Psa. 102:7)

THE 102nd PSALM IS THE PRAYER of a person in affliction – one who is being battered by the circumstances of life, and hounded by his enemies. Life has become a burden, and relief appears to be in a distant land. The afflicted one is depicted as being "overwhelmed," or "faint" (v 1, NIV). The person is "in trouble," or "distress" (NIV), and an answer to his fervent prayer is requested "speedily" (v 2). For this poor soul, life is like a burning house that is being consumed, and the hurt goes deep, even into his bones (v 3). The once strong heart is "withered like grass," and even eating is no longer appealing (v 4). In his soul, this afflicted person has become starved, like a person whose bones are covered only by his skin (v 5). He is like a lonely pelican in a barren wilderness, or a hooting owl in the midst of a thirsty desert (v 6).

CERTAINLY THIS IS A DESCRIPTION of a miserable and pitiable condition. Some might even suppose such a thing could never happen to someone who was trusting in the Lord. Yet, these are the expressions of a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), the "sweet psalmist of Israel" (2 Sam 23:1), who was noted for his faith.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE is the expression of an honest heart. There is no attempt to pretend as though life had no burdens. Instead, with inspired articulation, David puts into words the dreadful feeling of loneliness, when it seems as though the burden of life is carried by the individual alone, with no perceived assistance. Those who know the Lord are aware that this is not really the case – yet, that is how it appears, and that is what is driving this prayer. "I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top." Other versions read, "I lie awake, I have become like a lonely bird on a housetop" (NIV), and "a solitary bird on the roof" (NLT). It would be good if loneliness could always be dissolved by a good night's rest. But the psalmist enjoyed no such luxury. Instead he lay awake, with loneliness hovering over him like a dark and foreboding cloud.

DAVID DID NOT FEEL LIKE one great eagle, swift and strong of wing. Nor, indeed, did he feel like a single ostrich, fleet of foot, and able to run at high speeds. Instead, he felt like a solitary sparrow – defined lexically as "a little hopping bird." He could not get far off the ground, and even then, it was not for long. He was not soaring like an eagle, but perched alone on a roof, confined there by weakness.

DURING THIS TIME, his enemies reproached him "all the day," and he seemed powerless against them (v 8). Life had become like a pile of dry ashes, and his tears dropped into the very waters he drank (v 9). He felt as though this was a time of chastening, when the anger of the Lord had been unleashed against him. The very God who had lifted him up, had now cast him down to the ground (v 10). He felt as though everything about life was declining, and he was withering like the grass under the blast of a hot summer sun (v 11).Keep in mind, this was the way life seemed to the psalmist. It had become a heavy burden, and no helper was apparent. Like a weak hopping little bird, he found himself on the roof of life under the blast of a scorching sun, and with his strength withering.

YET, EVEN IN THIS DREADFUL DILEMMA, a surge of strength comes into the lonely man. Suddenly his attention is turned from his own miserable experience to the Lord of glory. "But Thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and Thy remembrance unto all generations. Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favor her, yea, the set time, is come" (vs 12,13). He speaks of God's servants experiencing pleasure (v 14), his enemies fearing God's name (v 15), and the Lord building up His people (v 16). With remarkable conviction he affirms that God "will regard the prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer" (v 17). He affirms God's people will praise Him instead of lamenting their loneliness (v 18). With the shout of faith he declares God will look down from the height of heaven, behold the earth, hear the groaning of the prisoners, and loose them (v 19-20). After affirming the unchangeable nature of the Living God, loneliness is swallowed up by spiritual insight and the psalmist exclaims, "The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee" (v 28).

WHAT BROUGHT THIS MARVELOUS TRANSITION ABOUT? How can a lonely sparrow on a roof top suddenly become filled with insight and praise? The grieving one himself provides the answer in this very psalm: "He weakened my strength in the way" (v 23). God had brought him to feel like a lonely little sparrow to confirm how much he needed Him. It was the Lord who made life a burden – because that is precisely what it is without the Lord. Through this experience came a fuller understanding of the need for a God who is "a very present help in the time of trouble" (Psa 46:1). The "sparrow" experience made David more discerning and teachable. It does the same for you.

– Given O. Blakely