#18 - Kyle Thompson // For a Generation to Come

If you recognize this question , it is probably because you got caught up in the far-reaching , albeit short-lived , phenomenon a couple of years ago where women would record their significant others answering that very question and for the most part , these men answered that they thought about the Roman Empire .

Often , the women all over the world were shocked by this and the men were shocked that they were shocked . At that time , there were a bunch of videos and think pieces that were made to try to explain all of this , but I think it could be summarized in a single word Legacy .

The reason these men , and I for that matter , think about the Roman Empire so often is because it is literally one of the most dominant and longest-lasting hegemons in the history of civilization . Whether you focus on the duration or breadth of the Roman Empire , it is easy to become enraptured in the effect that it had on human and civil development .

Men are obsessed with legacy . We are obsessed with the notion of leaving a mark , having an impact , making a name for ourselves , and that's part of our problem . We want to make a name for ourselves . We want to leave a mark on the next generation so that we can be seen as important .

But the writer of Psalm 102 , through his lament and anguish , is encouraging us to leave a mark on the next generation so that he , god , can be important . Now , of all the psalms of lament that we have covered this week , this one could be called a Psalm of Complaint .

Okay , so the ESV header even reads A prayer of one afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord . And boy does he ever . So we're going to read the first 11 verses of the Psalm here . Hear my prayer , o Lord , let my cry come to you . Do not hide your face from me .

In the day of my distress , incline your ear to me , answer me speedily in the day when I call For . My days pass away like smoke and my bones burn like a furnace . My heart is struck down like grass and has withered . I forget to eat my bread Because of my loud groaning . My bones cling to my flesh .

I am like a desert owl of the wilderness , like an owl of the waste places I lie awake . I am like a lonely sparrow on the housetop . All the day , my enemies taunt me , those who deride me , use my name for a curse , for I eat ashes like bread and mingle tears with my drink .

Because of your indignation and anger , for you have taken me up and thrown me down . My days are like an evening shadow . I wither away like grass . I mean , dude seems to be pretty pathetic in this moment . He's in a pretty bad state of things , right , he seems like he's really up against it and he's only focusing on himself .

But the shift comes in verse 12 . But you , o Lord , are enthroned forever . You are remembered throughout all generations . Guys , this is the first statement of the entirety of Psalm 102 that isn't just focused on him , and verse 18 really drives this home . Let this be recorded for a generation to come , so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord .

To be clear , our duty as men and , for many of us , as fathers , is to ensure that the generation after us knows God . It is our duty to make sure that they are equipped to praise the Lord . It is our duty to look beyond our current strife so that we can set them up to do the Lord's work .

In verses 25 , through the end of Psalm 102 , read like this Of old , you laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of your hands . They will perish , but you will remain . They will all wear out like a garment , you will change them like a robe and they will pass away , but you are the same and your years have no end .

The children of your servants shall dwell secure . Their offspring shall be established before you . Let's make sure they can dwell secure , guys .