“O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?” (Psalm 74:1). Have you ever been in a season of life where you felt the sorrow of these verses? Are you in a place right now where you could pray these words? The reality is that suffering, hardship, sorrows, diseases, and all other manners of the Curse either have affected or will affect each of us at some point in life. I have often heard, “You’re either in a trial, just coming out of a trial, or about to go into a trial.” Not a very chipper picture, but there is real truth to it… “In this world you will have trouble” our Lord said (John 16:33).
Our Psalmist, in chapter 74, is crying out because “the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary! Your foes have roared in the midst of your meeting place… They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name” (see verses 3-8). In short, the Psalmist was looking at his life, his country, his people, and the glory of God’s name, and all seemed to be hopelessly in ruins.
So what does he do? It may come as a surprise to us… he remembers the Exodus event! “You divided the sea by Your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters (Egyptians) on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan (Pharaoh)” (74:13-14). This might strike us as an odd thing to remember in the midst of such grief, but there is a great reason for it and we should learn from the Psalmist.
He is not simply recalling the Exodus event as a story, he is recalling the power of His God. “You, my God, possess all power, and thus I trust in Your strength rather than my own, even when my life looks hopelessly destroyed… You, my God, have the power to destroy our enemies, and thus I will take refuge in You during this storm…You, my God, took care of my ancestors in the wilderness, and thus I will trust You to take care of us now even when we don’t know what tomorrow holds… You, my God, made a covenant with us long ago, and You are faithful to Your Word, so you won’t forsake us now.”
This is what our Psalmist is bringing to mind as his world falls apart, and this is what we are to bring to minds when our worlds are falling apart too. Our God is mighty, able to save. Our God is compassionate, caring for us in our weakness. Our God has been faithful because He is faithful, thus He will continue to be faithful to us. Our God has made a covenant with us through the blood of His Son, so He will not forsake us, even in the valley of the shadow of death.
Whatever you may be walking through, however bleak it may seem, in Jesus you have a Savior who is walking with you faithfully, powerfully, and covenantally. He will not leave you or forsake you. Take comfort in Him and His promises.
Joshua P. Bankston
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