Psalm 44
Psalm 44
We have heard without ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
you with you own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
For not in the bow do i trust,
or can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
You made us turn back from the foe,
and your enemies have gotten spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
We may feel as if the world is rising against us. Situations in our own life may cause us to feel alone, hurt and overwhelmed. At certain points in our life is it possible to feel that God is not listening. At certain points it may even feel like He is not there.
Some days edification comes easy. Some days a moment of reflection brings us right back where we need to be. Some days we can say why are you cast down, o my soul and quickly remind ourselves of His goodness.
But some days we may be overcome. Some days we may feel forgotten. Some days it may feel as if the entire world is against us. Some days our souls may be cast down and we may not be able to find reason enough to move forward again.
It is in these moments of human weakness that we must call on a higher power. It is in these moments of pain and loss that we must call on Him to redeem us and show us His steadfast love.
These moments reveal our innate need for Him.
When He feels far off, when we feel like we are sinking and cry out for His aid - it is in these moments of rock bottom that we inevitably find ourselves being taken up by the King of Kings. It is in moments of pain that we find rest in His arms. After all, when we are weak we are made stronger through Him (2 Corinthians 12:10). He may not answer right away, He may not answer in the way we expect - but never forget that He has called us by name (Isaiah 43:1).
His redemption is a gift; His grace is a gift. None of which are based on anything we do - but all based on the profound love of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rest assured that this love never fails. Even in moments of weakness, in moments of loss, in moments of anger - His steadfast love is real. For His name sake when we repent and call on His name He will redeem us and sustain us. Once again we will hear His voice and be comforted by His message of peace.
In these times of hardship it is our duty to keep reminding ourselves of His promises. It is our responsibility to keep talking to Him and keep worshiping Him. We must continue to seek Him first. We must pursue His strength and mercy if we are to endure the trials of our faith. These trials bring about endurance. These trials remind us to depend on Him and lay ourselves down. It's in these moments of pain and heartache that we are reminded how small we are and how little control we have.
But even if we feel surrounded by silence right now, we can take heart that He will continue to redeem us and show His steadfast love for us when we pursue Him with all our hearts. In these moments of weakness and pain we have to look to Him. We can't depend on ourselves or what we believe; in moments like this we have to depend on who we believe in. We have to depend on Him. We are weak. But He is strong. He will guide us through whatever trials we face. He will do so not because of anything we have done, but because of His abundant love for us.
If we are feeling lost today it is a result of our lack of faith, not a lack of God. We are subjecting Him to human time tables and desires when we should be trusting Him instead. It won't be easy. Trusting Him and putting our faith in Him will not always be as complete as it should be, but we are truly blessed by a God of mercy. We are blessed that in moments of weakness all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). And when we keep the faith - however small it seems to be - we will find peace. We will find joy. We will find strength in Christ and confidence in our redemption.
All we have to do is be still and trust. We must be still and know He is God and He is stronger than anything we face.
We have heard without ears, O God,
our ancestors have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old:
you with you own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free;
for not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm give them victory;
but your right hand, and your arm,
and the light of your countenance,
for you delighted in them.
You are my King and my God;
you command victories for Jacob.
Through you we push down our foes;
through your name we tread down our assailants.
For not in the bow do i trust,
or can my sword save me.
But you have saved us from our foes,
and have put to confusion those who hate us.
In God we have boasted continually,
and we will give thanks to your name forever.
Yet you have rejected us and abased us,
and have not gone out with our armies.
You made us turn back from the foe,
and your enemies have gotten spoil.
You have made us like sheep for slaughter,
and have scattered us among the nations.
You have sold your people for a trifle,
demanding no high price for them.
You have made us the taunt of our neighbors,
the derision and scorn of those around us.
You have made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
All day long my disgrace is before me,
and shame has covered my face
at the words of the taunters and revilers,
at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
All this has come upon us,
yet we have not forgotten you,
or been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way,
yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals,
and covered us with deep darkness.
If we had forgotten the name of our God,
or spread out our hands to a strange god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Because of you we are being killed all day long,
and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord?
Awake, do not cast us off forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For we sink down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
Rise up, come to our help.
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
We may feel as if the world is rising against us. Situations in our own life may cause us to feel alone, hurt and overwhelmed. At certain points in our life is it possible to feel that God is not listening. At certain points it may even feel like He is not there.
Some days edification comes easy. Some days a moment of reflection brings us right back where we need to be. Some days we can say why are you cast down, o my soul and quickly remind ourselves of His goodness.
But some days we may be overcome. Some days we may feel forgotten. Some days it may feel as if the entire world is against us. Some days our souls may be cast down and we may not be able to find reason enough to move forward again.
It is in these moments of human weakness that we must call on a higher power. It is in these moments of pain and loss that we must call on Him to redeem us and show us His steadfast love.
These moments reveal our innate need for Him.
When He feels far off, when we feel like we are sinking and cry out for His aid - it is in these moments of rock bottom that we inevitably find ourselves being taken up by the King of Kings. It is in moments of pain that we find rest in His arms. After all, when we are weak we are made stronger through Him (2 Corinthians 12:10). He may not answer right away, He may not answer in the way we expect - but never forget that He has called us by name (Isaiah 43:1).
His redemption is a gift; His grace is a gift. None of which are based on anything we do - but all based on the profound love of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Rest assured that this love never fails. Even in moments of weakness, in moments of loss, in moments of anger - His steadfast love is real. For His name sake when we repent and call on His name He will redeem us and sustain us. Once again we will hear His voice and be comforted by His message of peace.
In these times of hardship it is our duty to keep reminding ourselves of His promises. It is our responsibility to keep talking to Him and keep worshiping Him. We must continue to seek Him first. We must pursue His strength and mercy if we are to endure the trials of our faith. These trials bring about endurance. These trials remind us to depend on Him and lay ourselves down. It's in these moments of pain and heartache that we are reminded how small we are and how little control we have.
But even if we feel surrounded by silence right now, we can take heart that He will continue to redeem us and show His steadfast love for us when we pursue Him with all our hearts. In these moments of weakness and pain we have to look to Him. We can't depend on ourselves or what we believe; in moments like this we have to depend on who we believe in. We have to depend on Him. We are weak. But He is strong. He will guide us through whatever trials we face. He will do so not because of anything we have done, but because of His abundant love for us.
If we are feeling lost today it is a result of our lack of faith, not a lack of God. We are subjecting Him to human time tables and desires when we should be trusting Him instead. It won't be easy. Trusting Him and putting our faith in Him will not always be as complete as it should be, but we are truly blessed by a God of mercy. We are blessed that in moments of weakness all we need is faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20). And when we keep the faith - however small it seems to be - we will find peace. We will find joy. We will find strength in Christ and confidence in our redemption.
All we have to do is be still and trust. We must be still and know He is God and He is stronger than anything we face.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance...Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (James 1: 2-3, 12).
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