Sparrow alone upon the housetop

The words of Psalm 102 have often been a great comfort to me. As I discovered them some years ago, I could not believe what I was reading. Domine exaudi, Lord hear my prayer. I hope I shall write about this Psalm many more times. What is so comforting is that it gives voice to a darkness and a sorrow that is otherwise voiceless. We ask to be taught to number our days, and so the psalmist says:

"For my days drift away like smoke" (Psalm 102: 3)

The psalmist portrays the deep sorrow of our fallen condition. The portrayal deepens into a stark beauty:

"I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert." (Psalm 102:6)

Is the psalmist talking about himself? Is he talking about me? Is this Jesus he is describing? The man of sorrows. The man out of place. The pelican who nurtures its young by sacrificing its own heart - or so the ancient story goes. The beauty is in the truth of all of these statements.

But the best follows.

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

There is a wryness to this beauty and this truth. It is crisp and sharp and is manifestly inspired. The chirping of that sparrow is a comforting sound.