GOD DOES NOT EXPECT YOU TO PRETEND THAT LIFE IS EASY

WHERE ARE YOU, GOD?

Psalm 74:1-3

O God, why do you cast us off forever?

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

Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old,

which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!

Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt.

Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins;

the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!

The temple has been destroyed! The sheep are confused about their relationship with their God!  

Have you had times in your life when things seemed really bleak? Life is sometimes hard: financial difficulties, relationships falling apart, failing health, and even church life that is difficult.

It becomes hard to understand where God is and what He is doing, in the midst of such difficult times. Israel had lived through seasons like this, and part of God’s care for them was to inspire writers like Asaph to help them to think correctly. And yes, these psalms were inspired for our care, as well! Life was hard for them, just as it is hard for us at times. It is not our duty to pretend things are fine, but to keep the right perspective. Things were really confusing for Israel, because their enemies have destroyed their temple.

Psalm 74:4-8

Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place;

they set up their own signs for signs.

They were like those who swing axes

in a forest of trees.

And all its carved wood

they broke down with hatchets and hammers.

They set your sanctuary on fire;

they profaned the dwelling place of your name,

bringing it down to the ground.

They said to themselves, “We will utterly subdue them”;

they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.

Has God abandoned them? How could He allow their enemies to place signs of their conquest in the temple, and profane that which is holy? Their ability to sense God’s presence has diminished, as their worship places have been destroyed.

Have you asked yourself why God allows the conditions that surround us? The world is, more and more, pushing God out of view. The wicked seem to have the upper hand. How long will all this continue?

Psalm 74:9-11

We do not see our signs;

there is no longer any prophet,

and there is none among us who knows how long.

How long, O God, is the foe to scoff?

Is the enemy to revile your name forever?

Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?

Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them!

At this point, Israel does not even have a prophet who can speak for God and lead them. Why is God not doing anything?

Lately, there seem to be many churches without godly leadership who can lead the sheep and nurture them. Are you allowing this circumstance to frustrate you and cause you to wonder where God is?

Israel needed to be led back to God. They needed to remember who their God is and what He had done as King over all.

Psalm 74:12-17

Yet God my King is from of old,

working salvation in the midst of the earth.

You divided the sea by your might;

you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters.

You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

You split open springs and brooks;

you dried up ever-flowing streams.

Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.

You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;

you have made summer and winter.

God had protected Israel, He had done great miracles; He is sovereign, He sustains the universe and orders all things through His power. The same God is still in control today. All things are ordered by His power, nothing is out of His control, and He has proven Himself faithful throughout the ages.

The author makes his appeal to the character and faithfulness of His God.

Psalm 74:20-23

Have regard for the covenant,

for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence.

Let not the downtrodden turn back in shame;

let the poor and needy praise your name.

Arise, O God, defend your cause;

remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day!

Do not forget the clamor of your foes,

the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!

God kept His promises to Israel and will be faithful to His Word on our behalf, as well. As we look around and things, from our perspective, seem out of control, we must go back to what we know about our God. He is perfect in His wisdom, His power, His faithfulness, and His love. The Lord has not abandoned us. His plans are perfect, and we must trust Him!