A Word from Psalm 74

Have you ever faced a situation in which you couldn’t understand where God was or why He hadn’t come to your aid? Maybe you were dealing with brokenness in an important relationship, or you faced uncertainty in your health or the health of someone you care about. Maybe you were under economic pressure, or you were frustrated by the state of the world. But whatever it was, you were confused and dismayed, and you struggled to hold onto faith.

Well, that was the situation facing the author of today’s word from Psalm 74. In a time of national crisis, when the enemies of Israel had overrun the country and destroyed God’s temple, God’s poet cried out, trying to make sense of God’s apparent absence.

O God, why have you rejected us forever?

     Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

We are given no signs from God;

     no prophets are left,

     and none of us knows how long this will be.

How long will the enemy mock you, God?

     Will the foe revile your name forever? (vs. 1, 9-10)

And yet, after pouring out all this confusion and frustration, the tone of the psalmist changes—because what he’s paying attention to changes.

But God is my King from long ago;

     He brings salvation on the earth.

The day is yours, and yours also the night;

     you established the sun and moon. (vs. 12, 16)

You see, we can choose where we focus our hearts. We can focus on the difficulty of the challenges we face, or we can focus on the faithfulness of the God who’s proven Himself time and time again. And if we do that, then we—like the psalmist—can put our lives in the hands of the Father who’s proven His love for us.

Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts. the psalmist says.

     And do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

May you trust in God’s faithfulness today, no matter what you face. Amen.