October 20 - Psalm 74

October 20 - Psalm 74:1-23

A national disaster. All seems lost. There is a possibility this was written during the time of the Babylonian captivity (2 Kings 24-25). How could God have forgotten His love for the people that he redeemed? How could he have forgotten Jerusalem, Mt. Zion? Why would He reject them? The answer is found in 2 Chronicles 36:14-16.

The city is in ruins (Psalm 74:3), the enemy reached the sanctuary and destroyed it! If you read Psalm 74:4-8, you see the destruction they caused. This was devastating to the Israelites.

The Psalmist continues in Psalm 74:9, "We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be."

Those are words that many of us use when we plead with God to reveal Himself to us during times of stress. We seem so lost, He seems so far away.

I've spent many hours in pleading prayer with God, reminding Him and myself what He has accomplished for me in the past. Psalm 74:12-17 does that again. This beautiful poetry is a reminder to the Psalmist, to the reader and to the Lord of the glorious miracles that He has performed and Psalm 74:18-21 reminds the Lord of the covenant that He originally set forth with His children.

It doesn't matter that the children of Israel broke the covenant. The Lord promised to always remain responsible for his portion. He never stopped loving His people, though He allowed them to face challenges and deal with punishment when they refused to acknowledge His presence in their lives.

The last verses remind the Lord that people are mocking Him and clamoring against Him. The Psalmist calls out for Him to rise up and defend His cause.

Over and over I am thankful that these Psalms are in our scriptures. These are the Psalms that tell me it is ok to question God, to plead with Him, to remind Him, to be in conversation with Him. Sometimes that conversation is at the top of my voice and I have lost all control. God will never leave us, He will never be angry with us because we hurt and are questioning what He is doing. He will always love us and He will take care of us.