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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.

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How often do you think about the Roman Empire? How often do you think about the Roman Empire Now? 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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