Observation: this is a prayer to an eternal God from a mortal human being, understanding just how frail and short human life is.
Application: This Psalm fits in well with the theme of Ash Wednesday (only 8 days away! Yikes!). It even says God's servants (maybe the Heavenly hosts?) hold Jerusalem's stones dear and "have pity on its dust."
I think for those with only a limited understanding of Ash Wednesday, the words "You are dust, and to dust you shall return" may sound like an insult. Some may think "you are dust" means "you are worthless," but in fact the opposite is true. It means we are part of an ever-changing creation, and just like the rest of it, the form in which we currently find ourselves is going to change. We came from the ground, now we have bodies, and we'll go back to the ground someday. That doesn't make us worthless: it makes us priceless. Each of us is a short moment in time, which God intended and looked forward to from the beginning, and which God will remember even when the earth itself has forgotten.
The words in the middle of this Psalm give me pause: "'' Oh my God,' I said, 'do not take me away at the midpoint of my life...'" I'm missing some people today, some of whom are gone too early. The last, best hope I have is that God remembers and treasures the moment that was their lives, and will recall it in God's own way and time.
Prayer: God, thank you for looking at the dust of the earth, the elements of creation, and seeing me. Remember me, and all your children, in eternity. Amen.
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