Psalm 74:1 “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?” (NIV)
One of the basic truths about sin is that it leads to death (Romans 6:23), and the only known antidote is the blood of Jesus Christ which cleanses us of all sin (1 John 1:7). There is no other way than to turn to God in faith and repentance when we sin against Him. This must always be our response when the troubles and struggles of this life begin to overwhelm us. God wants us to come to Him first and lay our hearts bare before Him.
This should be easy for every man to do since God knows what we need before we even ask, and yet all too often instead of praying to God when we have trouble we turn to our own weak expedients to deal with our present crisis (James 5:13). You can be assured if you turn to your own limited power and concocted solutions there will be no way to escape the trap of our own making!
Psalm 74 is most likely written by a descendant of Asaph following the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC by the armies of the great Nebuchadnezzar who was an agent of the Lord (Psalm 74:7). None of us as citizens of the United States truly understand the division and devastation of war and its brutal impact on the civilian population. Unfortunately the Jews all too well understood the pain and suffering caused by the arrogant and unrepentant sin in their lives.
But we must always remember the words of Lamentations written by the Prophet Jeremiah following the destruction of Jerusalem: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion’s never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23). As the descendant of Asaph did we are to seek the Lord to help us with our burdens, forgive us our sins, and deliver us through the storm. Let us always remember and never forget that the love and power of God is the answer to whatever grieves us or haunts us in this world just as it is stated in Psalm 74:12.
Please take to heart five important points of remembrance about God when you are dealing with the effects of crisis and chaos in your life:
(1) God expects me to ask for His help first.
(2) God understands what I am going through and He expects me to be transparent and honest with Him.
(3) God wants us to remember that every day is a new day and His grace is always sufficient for the trouble of that day. Remember the teaching of our Lord Jesus on the boundary of the day (Matthew 6:34). If we are in Christ we have no right to be discouraged or defeated.
(4) God loves us with a matchless love and His love will never let us go.
(5) God wants us to expect in faith answers to our pleas for help. We are to rise to the confidence of a firm faith in the ability of God to intervene in this world.
Life is challenging and difficult at best, and if we don’t lean on God it can become overwhelming and destructive. May we be quick to remember the great lesson from Psalm 74 to seek God’s help even in the midst of life’s greatest tragedies because He will answer our cries for help!
THANK YOU FATHER FOR YOUR ABIDING PRESENCE THAT ASSURES ME OF CALM IN THE STORMS OF LIFE. AMEN!
Article by Mike White of Summit church of Christ
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