Read
(A special psalm by Ethan the Ezrahite.)
The Lord's Agreement
1 Our Lord, I will sing
of your love forever.
Everyone yet to be born
will hear me praise
your faithfulness.
2I will tell them, “God's love
can always be trusted,
and his faithfulness lasts
as long as the heavens.”
3You said, “David, my servant,
is my chosen one,
and this is the agreement
I made with him:
4 David, one of your descendants
will always be king.”
5Our Lord, let the heavens
now praise your miracles,
and let all your angels
praise your faithfulness.
6None who live in the heavens
can compare with you.
7You are the most fearsome
of all who live in heaven;
all the others fear
and greatly honor you.
8You are Lord God All-Powerful!
No one is as loving
and faithful as you are.
9You rule the roaring sea
and calm its waves.
10You crushed the monster Rahab,
and with your powerful arm
you scattered your enemies.
11The heavens and the earth
belong to you.
And so does the world
with all its people
because you created them
12and everything else.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon
gladly praise you.
13You are strong and mighty!
14Your kingdom is ruled
by justice and fairness
with love and faithfulness
leading the way.
15Our Lord, you bless those
who join in the festival
and walk in the brightness
of your presence.
16We are happy all day
because of you,
and your saving power
brings honor to us.
17Your own glorious power
makes us strong,
and because of your kindness,
our strength increases.
18Our Lord and our King,
the Holy One of Israel,
you are truly our shield.
19In a vision, you once said
to your faithful followers:
“I have helped a mighty hero.
I chose him from my people
and made him famous.
20 David, my servant, is the one
I chose to be king,
21and I will always be there
to help and strengthen him.
22“No enemy will outsmart David,
and he won't be defeated
by any hateful people.
23I will strike down and crush
his troublesome enemies.
24He will always be able
to depend on my love,
and I will make him strong
with my own power.
25I will let him rule the lands
across the rivers and seas.
26He will say to me,
‘You are my Father
and my God,
as well as the mighty rock
where I am safe.’
27 “I have chosen David
as my first-born son,
and he will be the ruler
of all kings on earth.
28My love for him will last,
and my agreement with him
will never be broken.
29“One of David's descendants
will always be king,
and his family will rule
until the sky disappears.
30Suppose some of his children
should reject my Law
and refuse my instructions.
31Or suppose they should disobey
all of my teachings.
32Then I will correct
and punish them
because of their sins.
33But I will always love David
and faithfully keep all
of my promises to him.
34“I won't break my agreement
or go back on my word.
35I have sworn once and for all
by my own holy name,
and I won't lie to David.
36His family will always rule.
I will let his kingdom last
as long as the sun 37and moon
appear in the sky.”
38You are now angry, Lord,
and you have turned your back
on your chosen king.
39You broke off your agreement
with your servant, the king,
and you completely destroyed
his kingdom.
40The walls of his city
have been broken through,
and every fortress
now lies in ruins.
41All who pass by
take what they want,
and nations everywhere
joke about the king.
42You made his enemies powerful
and let them celebrate.
43But you forced him to retreat
because you did not fight
on his side.
44You took his crown
and threw his throne
in the dirt.
45You made an old man of him
and put him to shame.
46How much longer, Lord?
Will you hide forever?
How long will your anger
keep burning like fire?
47Remember, life is short!
Why did you empty our lives
of all meaning?
48No one can escape the power
of death and the grave.
49Our Lord, where is the love
you have always shown
and that you promised
so faithfully to David?
50Remember your servant, Lord!
People make jokes about me,
and I suffer many insults.
51I am your chosen one,
but your enemies chase
and make fun of me.
52Our Lord, we praise you
forever. Amen and amen.
Reflect
We’ve all been there. Our circumstances take a turn and nothing resembles the anticipated fulfillment of God’s promises to us. We think the picture is completely wrong. But, here we are. How do we respond?
Psalm 89 was possibly written at a time when King David was in the agony of humiliation before his enemies. Verses 42 and 43 are painful to read… “You made his enemies powerful and let them celebrate. But you forced him to retreat because you did not fight on his side.” David was heir to a covenant – his line and throne would last forever (verses 35-37). But here he was, pleading, “How much longer, Lord. Will you hide forever?” (verse 46).
Have you ever felt this way? It can be downright disorienting. It’s not that we stop believing in God, but at times it is difficult to reconcile our circumstances with his promises.
Psalm 89 engages that mystery and shows us the way forward. The Psalmist does not have the answer to the apparent discontinuity between God’s promise and his present reality. But this one thing he does: he rehearses what is true and unchanging. His response flows like worship. He acknowledges who God is, regardless of life’s circumstances. The words he chooses express deep faith: love, faithfulness and covenant. His appeal that God will remember what he has promised rests on the conviction that God is faithful. How crucial and pivotal this is when our emotions are unsettled!
When life’s circumstances are perplexing, we do well to turn to the God we have come to know. Like the Psalmist, we can leave the mystery of our difficulties at his feet and place our hope in the fact that he is faithful to his Word. We remind ourselves to hold steady because it’s not over yet.
Respond
Dear Lord, faithful and loving, when my life seems to take me far from what I anticipated from your hand, draw me to yourself. Help me to sink into the reality of who you are, of your love and faithfulness towards me. You are trustworthy, and I will wait on you. With faith in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
Jacqueline Dugas
Jacqueline Dugas is Vice President and Director of Ministries at Every Home for Christ International/Canada (EHC), where she has served on the executive leadership team for more than two decades. Her ministry work involves speaking and writing for a trans-denominational and international audience on the broad topic of knowing God and making Jesus known everywhere. Jacqueline has authored 7 Days with Jesus, written as a follow up resource for Finding the Hope, EHC’s evangelism outreach in Canada and abroad. She has co-authored the widely used evangelism booklet, Finding the Hope, and the Finding the Hope Personal Kit, both published in multiple languages. She is co-producer of EHC’s monthly publication, Harvest Partner.