Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

102:12-17 O Lord, You Will Have Pity on Zion. The previous section begins and ends with a sense of how short the life of a sufferer seems (vv. 3, 11); this section looks from that to the enduring life and reign of God (enthroned forever, remembered throughout all generations), which secures the ultimate success of his saving purposes in the world (v. 15). The connection between the afflicted individual and God having pity on Zion (v. 13) is not immediately obvious: probably v. 17 (God regards the prayer of the destitute) indicates that God's ultimate good for Zion (its role in bringing to pass that the nations will fear the name of the Lord, v. 15) includes ultimate good for each of the faithful members of God's people. Because God does not despise their prayer (cf. the same word in the title, and in v. 1), they can be assured that their momentary grieving is part of a larger scheme, and their endurance in faith contributes to it.