Have things ever gotten so bad for you that you didn't know
where to turn? With all the agony and
distress that is associated with life, it's bound to happen to us all. Such was the case with the psalmist when he
cried out to God in a time of desperation.
Psalm 74:1-9
1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed —
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed —
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.
3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.
6 They smashed all the carved paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
they set up their standards as signs.
5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.
6 They smashed all the carved paneling
with their axes and hatchets.
7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.
8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!”
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.
Things do go bad for us at times. It seems like God must have
forgotten about us. Why do such bad things happen? These followers of God in the psalm were his
chosen people, yet they turned away from him. Their destruction has them in
despair and crying out to God, wondering why he has rejected them. What if the unfaithfulness of God's people
today brought about similar results?
Where do we turn? If the latter part of verse 8 happened today and the
enemies of God burned every place where God was worshiped, what would we do?
The prayer we pray during a time of catastrophe is somewhat
telling of the way we approach the situation, and how we are reminded in all
circumstances to lean on God. God loves us and wants us, even in the darkest
hour, to place our trust in him. Sometimes a confession of sins appropriate in
such a prayer. At other times, even faithful Christians face calamity and cry
out to the Father. Today, read the story in this link www.forthischildididpray.blogspot.com
to see God's answer to a cry of despair.
God bless.
<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>
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