“Let this be recorded for a generation to come so that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord, that he looked down from his Holy height. From heaven, the Lord looked at the Earth to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die, that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord and in Jerusalem, his praise when peoples gathered together in kingdoms to worship the Lord.”
– Psalm 102:18–22
Oh, what a powerful picture of God’s grace. Just think about what these verses just said. God has looked down from his Holy height from heaven. The Lord looked at the Earth at those who were in need, desperately in need. God from his Holy height has heard the groans of prisoners has set free, those who were doomed to die.
A Picture of Despair and Hopelessness
What a picture of despair, of bondage of hopelessness, and God on high looks down and he hears and he sees and he sets free. This is the gospel. This is what we celebrate at Christmas. God from his Holy height has come to us in the person of Jesus. He has taken on a robe of human flesh and he has lived among us. He has died for us so that we might be free from sin, from bondage to sin, from bondage to death so that we might have life in him.
Praise be to God who looked down from his Holy height and did not leave us alone in our need but came to us and our need, so we praise him. That’s the whole picture in verse 21 here, that they may declare in Zion the name of the Lord and in Jerusalem his praise when peoples gathered together in kingdoms to worship the Lord.
Psalm 102:18–22 Exalts God for His Saving Grace
Let God be exalted because he has looked down from his Holy height and saved those who were in need. Yes, yes, yes, yes. God, we praise you right now. We do what we have been ordained to do because you are worthy of praise. You are worthy of glory and honor. We exalt your name right now. We exalt the name of the Lord for you, look down from your only height upon us, upon me. I don’t even know how to fathom than this, God.
That you, the God of the universe, saw me in my sin and purposed to save me from my sin. You came to the Earth to die for my sin and not just me like those who are listening right now who know you, that I pray they would just feel in a fresh way your affection from on high for them. And we together exalt you and not just us, so the peoples would gather together in kingdoms to worship you.
Celebrating the Coming of Christ
Oh God, we are celebrating the coming of Christ, the promise one, Jesus, you in human flesh coming to us to save us from our sins. But we know it’s not just for us, it’s for all peoples. So God, we pray for all peoples, all kingdoms, all nations to know your grace, to praise your name for your salvation. God, we pray for the Bedouin, Beja people in Egypt, a million plus of them.
Apparently only a few followers of Jesus among them. God change that God. Bring them. We pray. Bring them to know you. We plead right now for laborers to go among the Badouin, Beja and Egypt, and to make your grace known among them. God, please may be so may they know that you from heaven have stooped to save them. And God, we pray for people right around us or don’t know this, God. We pray for friends and family members, especially here at Christmas time.
Psalm 102:18–22 Encourages Faithfulness in Sharing the Gospel
God, please help us to be faithful, to share the good news of what Christmas represents, that the God of the universe has stooped, to come from Heaven to save those in need from their sin and bondage to death. Oh, to give us life. God, help us to proclaim life today. Please bring friends, family members, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances around us, God.
Please bring people to life through our proclamation of this good news. We glorify your name. We praise you for looking down from your Holy height upon us and saving those who were doomed to die.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
