Hold Fast

Psalm 44

English Standard Version (ESV)

To the choirmaster. ^(A)A Maskil^[a] of the Sons of Korah.

44 O God, we have heard with our ears,
    ^(B)our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
    ^(C)in the days of old:
² you with your own hand ^(D)drove out the nations,
    but ^(E)them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
    but ^(F)them you set free;
³ for not ^(G)by their own sword did they win the land,
    nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
    and ^(H)the light of your face,
    ^(I)for you delighted in them.

^4 (J)You are my King, O God;
    ^(K)ordain salvation for Jacob!
⁵ Through you we ^(L)push down our foes;
    through your name we ^(M)tread down those who rise up against us.
⁶ For not in ^(N)my bow do I trust,
    nor can my sword save me.
⁷ But you have saved us from our foes
    and have ^(O)put to shame those who hate us.
^8 (P)In God we have boasted continually,
    and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah

⁹ But you have ^(Q)rejected us and disgraced us
    and ^(R)have not gone out with our armies.
¹⁰ You have made us ^(S)turn back from the foe,
    and those who hate us have gotten spoil.
¹¹ You have made us like ^(T)sheep for slaughter
    and have ^(U)scattered us among the nations.
^12 (V)You have sold your people for a trifle,
    demanding no high price for them.
¹³ You have made us ^(W)the taunt of our neighbors,
    the derision and ^(X)scorn of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us ^(Y)a byword among the nations,
    ^(Z)a laughingstock^[b] among the peoples.
¹⁵ All day long my disgrace is before me,
    and ^(AA)shame has covered my face
¹⁶ at the sound of the taunter and reviler,
    at the sight of ^(AB)the enemy and the avenger.

^17 (AC)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 ^(AD)steps ^(AE)departed from your way;
¹⁹ yet you have ^(AF)broken us in the place of ^(AG)jackals
    and covered us with ^(AH)the shadow of death.
²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or ^(AI)spread out our hands to ^(AJ)a foreign god,
^21 (AK)would not God discover this?
    ^(AL)For he knows the secrets of the heart.
²² Yet ^(AM)for your sake we are killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

^23 (AN)Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
    Rouse yourself! ^(AO)Do not reject us forever!
²⁴ Why ^(AP)do you hide your face?
    Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
²⁵ For our ^(AQ)soul is bowed down to the dust;
    our belly clings to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up; ^(AR)come to our help!
    ^(AS)Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!

(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2044&version=ESV)

At times we may find ourselves in situations that just don’t seem like they are from God.  Some people even go as far as to say, “Why would a loving God do that?” or “I don’t believe there is a God because if there were, He wouldn’t allow that to happen.”  I have to disagree with those statements.  Yes, we have a loving God but we also have a just God.  We have an all-knowing God, we have an always present God, we have a God who can and will do anything that He sees as best for us.  One thing we don’t have is a mind like God.  We can’t always understand why He allows things to happen because we are not all-knowing, we are not present everywhere at the same time, we have a limited mind and limited vision, God sees and hears it all. 

What does God want us to do during these difficult times that we don’t understand?  I believe He wants us to trust Him.  He wants us to do as these people did and recognize His glorious ways.  When we are in the midst of trouble our focus tends to turn to the trouble but the Lord wants us to turn to Him and to seek Him.  He wants us to cry out ABBA-FATHER and He wants us to run to Him.

Can He save us from the trouble?  Yes, He can.  But, our focus should not be on the trouble, it should be on His mighty power.  As you read this song of praise you may realize that the Israelites did have a focus on God.  They also had questions because they did not see where they had sinned or fallen away from the Lord, yet they were having a difficult time.  Prosperity does not always mean that God is looking down on us in favor.  This is something we learned from Job.  God looked down on Job with favor both when He had wealth and when He had sores all over His body.  God was there and He loved Job.  Eventually God blessed Job doubly and someday God will bless us abundantly.  It may be here on Earth or it could be when we get to Heaven but, we know we will be blessed beyond measure.

Hold fast to His promises; hold fast to His love, for it endures forever.  His love is with you, His back has not turned from you, do as the people in this passage did, they cried out and they sought after the Lord.  Seek Him and know that He is God.

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila