Today’s reading notes from Psalm 74. I just love this chronological approach, where the Psalms are interspersed among the historical accounts. The context truly enriches the meaning.
In the passages from Jeremiah, we see that Jerusalem is under siege. It is surrounded and assaulted and destroyed. Think for a minute how that must have felt to God’s people. They must have been so frightened, dismayed, fearful, hopeless, heartbroken. They city they not only loved but also revered had been desecrated. These two chapters in Psalms convey those emotions powerfully.
The first 11 verses in Psalm 74 describe the condition of the Jerusalem and the Temple. These verses also point to the sovereignty of God - even and especially over hopeless destruction. The psalmist sees the devastation as God’s judgment - and rightly so because Jeremiah had repeatedly warned them of this for years!
Look, then at how verse 12 begins - “yet”. The entire perspective turns on that little word. “Yet”. “Yet God is my king from of old”. Here we see where the psalmist places his hope and confidence. Yes, the situation was horrible. The outlook was bleak, even hopeless. “YET GOD”. Powerful words!
The psalmist then recounts the power of God through history. He reminds himself of God’s past faithfulness and deliverance, of His divine power and creation and of His provision and steadfastness. In verses 18-23, he redirects his heart to the character and promises of God.
This psalm provides for us a model for navigating our own hopeless times, those places where we feel hopeless and helpless. The first thing we see in verses 1-11 is the outpouring of his heart to the Lord - in anguish, desperation, even anger. At times we may be tempted to think this is unnecessary - surely God already knows all this! Or even inappropriate - isn’t it unholy to vent to God like this? I find it quite comforting that God gave us Psalms like this one so we could know the truth - we don’t pour our hearts out in an attempt to inform God of anything - rather we pour our hearts out in order to release painful emotions and direct our focus to Him. If you are facing a desperate situation today, I implore you to first go before the Lord and tell Him all about it. Pour out all your emotions - even the “unholy” ones - to the One Who loves you the most.
But the psalmist’s model doesn’t stop there. What a tragedy that would be - to remain in our anger and anguish! No, verse 12 intentionally redirects us - from worry and pain to the acknowledgement of Who God is. Recount His power and His faithfulness and in verse 18, we see the move from pouring out emotions (vs 1-11) to remembering HIs character (vs 12-17) to trusting Him for the future. Verse 20 shows us to stand on the promises of God - no matter the circumstances surrounding us, the foundation beneath us is a secure place of peace.
Sisters, may we become imprinted with this model so that it becomes our default response in times of trouble. I love you all!