April 30, 2009
Hey, God! do you remember who this is down here?
Psalm 44
Bebie Bone
Central Truth
As believers, we are not immune from suffering and hardship. God has a unique purpose for each of us, and without these down times we would have no basis for growth, perseverance, character, and hope. It is imperative to keep God's love for us uppermost no matter what we face.
Key Verse | Psalm 44:8
In God I boast all day long,
and we will continually give thanks to your name. (Selah)
(Psalms 44:8)
Psalm 44
Come to Our Help
To the choirmaster. A Maskil 1 44:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term of the Sons of Korah.
1
O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
2
you with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
3
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.
4
You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
5
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down those who rise up against us.
6
For not in my bow do I trust,
nor can my sword save me.
7
But you have saved us from our foes
and have put to shame those who hate us.
8
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9
But you have rejected us and disgraced us
and have not gone out with our armies.
10
You have made us turn back from the foe,
and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
11
You have made us like sheep for slaughter
and have scattered us among the nations.
12
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
13
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
14
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock
2
44:14
Hebrew a shaking of the head
among the peoples.
15
All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
16
at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17
All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
18
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
19
yet you have broken us in the place of jackals
and covered us with the shadow of death.
20
If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
23
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
24
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
26
Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!
Dive Deeper | Psalm 44
As I write this, we have just been slammed by Hurricane Ike. Three words used constantly about Ike are "devastated, devastation," and "devastating." I've been devastated by many "Ikes" in my lifetime.
Once, without warning, I was fired from a job. I had no idea why, and nobody offered an explanation. I stumbled home, and for days I was in a fog, feeling as if I were literally standing on the edge of a cliff, seeing nothing but darkness below. If I let go, I would fall into that pit of darkness. It was frightening! Thankfully, my husband and friends supported me. Somewhere in my soul I knew that I couldn't let go—that God was holding on to me. I cried out, "God, why me? What have I done to deserve this?" It was truly devastating. (Eventually, I learned it was not me—someone else was the cause.)
The Jews had obeyed and praised God for years. But now in Psalm 44, they were besieged with pain. God had turned away from them. Their lamenting shows the devastation they felt. They begged God, "Rise up and help us. Rescue us because of your loyal love!" (Psalm 44:26) Even so, they did not forget or turn away from God. Why did He let this happen when they had done nothing wrong? He allowed it to make His people strong.
If we trust God only for what we can get, then we won't be able to stay through the trials. We must remember that our enemies have no real power against us. And we must not seek relief in sinful pleasures, but instead meditate on God's love. Romans 5:3-4 says, "[W]e also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance, character, and character, hope." Without suffering, how can we walk beside and understand the pain others are experiencing? Learning to let go and let God work was difficult for me. I wasn't sure exactly how to do that. It came little by little as I experienced more trials and trusted in God, rather than myself, to handle them.
Discussion Questions
1. Are you in the midst of your own "Hurricane Ike" at this moment?
2. Are you letting God handle it for you, or are you trying to do it on your own?
3. Are you prepared to suffer through the "Ikes" so that you will gain the strength needed to help others in their struggles?