Read
(A special psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.)
A Prayer for Help
1Our God, our ancestors told us
what wonders you worked
and we listened carefully.
2You chased off the nations
by causing them trouble
with your powerful arm.
Then you let our ancestors
take over their land.
3Their strength and weapons
were not what won the land
and gave them victory!
You loved them and fought
with your powerful arm
and your shining glory.
4You are my God and King,
and you give victory
to the people of Jacob.
5By your great power,
we knocked our enemies down
and trampled on them.
6I don't depend on my arrows
or my sword to save me.
7But you saved us
from our hateful enemies,
and you put them to shame.
8We boast about you, our God,
and we are always grateful.
9But now you have rejected us;
you don't lead us into battle,
and we look foolish.
10You made us retreat,
and our enemies have taken
everything we own.
11You let us be slaughtered
like sheep,
and you scattered us
among the nations.
12You sold your people
for little or nothing,
and you earned no profit.
13You made us look foolish
to our neighbors;
people who live nearby
insult us and sneer.
14Foreigners joke about us
and shake their heads.
15I am embarrassed every day,
and I blush with shame.
16But others mock and sneer,
as they watch my enemies
take revenge on me.
17All this happened to us,
though we didn't forget you
or break our agreement.
18We always kept you in mind
and followed your teaching.
19But you crushed us,
and you covered us
with deepest darkness
where wild animals live.
20We did not forget you
or lift our hands in prayer
to foreign gods.
21You would have known it
because you discover
every secret thought.
22 We face death all day for you.
We are like sheep on their way
to be slaughtered.
23Wake up! Do something, Lord!
Why are you sleeping?
Don't desert us forever.
24Why do you keep looking away?
Don't forget our sufferings
and all our troubles.
25We are flat on the ground,
holding on to the dust.
26Do something! Help us!
Show how kind you are
and come to our rescue.
Reflect
How amazing are the first eight verses of this passage? The psalmist is full of praise for the Lord and heaping all the victories onto God – we can’t help but feel inspired! Then, out of nowhere, bitter complaints and scornful grumblings right to the very end. Where God was once given victories, he now receives blame. These verses are practically being yelled up to heaven, as the psalmist doubts whether he’s even being heard.
He says, “Wake up! Do something, Lord!” But what the psalmist didn’t know was that, despite how dismal things seemed, God already had a plan in the works. Yes, at the time, his people were losing the battle and felt like fools in front of their enemies, however that wasn’t the end of the story. It was – and is – so much bigger than that. God was never asleep and he wasn’t ignoring his people, it just wasn’t the time for victory yet. But that didn’t mean victory wasn’t coming.
While the psalmist lived before Jesus’ time and we live in the after, we can still find ourselves often thinking the same bitter thoughts – what are you doing, God? Are you sleeping? We lose sight of the big picture and get lost in the daily struggle. Just like the psalmist, we all experience troubles – but in no way are these troubles defeats, because God has already done something. He was never sleeping. No, he suffered, died, and saved us, all while we were still sinners, and now he calls us his own. This is the biggest victory of all, and we live in its truth every day.
God hadn’t deserted the psalmist and he certainly hasn’t deserted you. He died for you, defeated sin, and has delivered you from disaster. Remember this, and praise him.
Respond
Gracious Father, forgive me for being so quick to blame when circumstances aren’t going my way, or I find myself in times of trouble. Because of you, I have hope. Because of you, my future is secure. Thank you with all that I am. Amen.
Larissa Benfey
Larissa is a Toronto based actor and writer who has dabbled in everything from scripts to short stories, and is now setting her sights on novels. Having studied English and history at Tyndale University and Seminary, she loves a good story, but her favorite stories always have happy endings - which is part of why she loves the true story of the Gospel so much.