2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. He was banished from the spot which was the center of his delight, and
at the same time his mind was in a depressed and melancholy condition; both
actually and figuratively he was an outcast, yet he does not therefore restrain
prayer, but rather finds therein a reason for the louder and more importunate
cries. To be absent from the place of divine worship was a sore sorrow to
saints in the olden times; they looked upon the tabernacle as the center of the
world, and they counted themselves to be at the end of the universe when they
could no longer resort to the sacred shrine; their heart was heavy as in a
strange land when they were banished from its solemnities. Yet even they knew
right well that no place is unsuitable for prayer. There may be an end of the
earth, but there must not be an end to devotion. No spot is too dreary, no
condition too deplorable; whether it be the world’s end or life’s end, prayer
is equally available. To pray in some circumstances needs resolve, and the
psalmist here expresses it: I will cry. It was a wise resolution, for
had he ceased to pray he would have become the victim of despair; there is an
end to a man when he makes an end to prayer. Observe that David had never
dreamed of seeking any other God; he did not imagine the dominion of Jehovah to
be local: he was at the end of the promised land, but he knew himself to be
still in the territory of the great King; to him only does he address his
petitions. When my heart is overwhelmed. When the huge waves of trouble
wash over me, and I am completely submerged, not only as to my head, but also
my heart. It is hard to pray when the very heart is drowning, yet gracious men
plead best at such times. Tribulation brings us to God, and brings God to us.
It is all over with me, affliction is all over me, yet God is near, near enough
to hear my voice, and I will call him. Mark how our psalmist tells the Lord, as
if he knew he were hearing him, that he intended to call upon him: our prayer
by reason of our distress may be like a call upon a far-off friend, but our
inmost faith has its quiet heart-whispers to the Lord as to one who is
assuredly our very present help.
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