Tag: Psalm 74

When You Feel Forgotten

Jeremiah 38-40
Psalm 74, 79

In Psalm 74 and 79, the psalmists lament the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. In both of these psalms the writer is experiencing grief and devastation. As a reaction to this grief God’s people felt forgotten and left behind.

“We are given no signs from God;

    no prophets are left,

    and none of us knows how long this will be.”

Psalm 74:9

We have all gone through something hard and felt separated from God. Like the psalmists, maybe you have felt silence, confusion, or neglect from God during a difficult time. Thankfully, these Psalms also give us practical ways to deal with hurt and feeling separated from God. The first thing to do is to give your grief and anger to God, like in Psalm 79:4-5,

“We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
    of scorn and derision to those around us.

How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
    How long will your jealousy burn like fire?”

Sometimes it can be uncomfortable telling God that we feel angry even though He of course already knows how we feel. This is the first step in moving towards reconciliation with God, but the steps that follow are just as important. Remember God’s covenant and all that He has done, like in Psalm 74:13,

“It was You who split open the sea by Your power;

    You broke the heads of the monster in the waters.”

We also know that when we help others God helps us, as mentioned in Psalm 41:1,

“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak;

    the Lord delivers them in times of trouble.”

We should continue to lean on God through our problems and praise Him, even in hardship.

“Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times

    the contempt they have hurled at You, Lord.

Then we your people, the sheep of Your pasture,

    will praise You forever;

from generation to generation

    we will proclaim Your praise.”

Psalm 79:12-13.

-Brooke Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you ever felt forgotten by God? Do you think you have ever experienced God’s anger? (Remember why Jerusalem was experiencing God’s anger.)
  2. What is the benefit of telling God of your anger? What is the benefit of praising God even in hardship?
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God’s Restoration

Old Testament: Numbers 31-33

Psalms Reading: Psalms 74

New Testament: 2 Corinthians 11

My Bible notes explain that Psalm 74 is from the time of the exile, after the nation of Israel had been destroyed and the temple left in ruins and the promised land completely ravished. The first half of the Psalm is a recounting of how the sanctuary of the Almighty was decimated by the enemy. The second half of the Psalm is a cry out to God to do something about it. Verse 12 is the pivot point between the two halves. 

As I read Psalm 74, my inner first-born older-sister voice says something like, “Well, what do you expect? Your insolent behavior was basically an invitation to the enemy to come and wreak havoc. You opened the door to the temple wide open with your disobedience. And now you realize your mistake and want God to fix it???”

As if I never did anything foolish. Not once have I been disobedient. And I never have had to deal with the consequences of my poor choices. Nor have I ever asked God to come to my rescue and defend me when I got in over my head. Nope, not at all. Not me.

Maybe this Psalm hits a little too close to home. Because there have been so many times when my disobedience has left me on my knees. I said something that shouldn’t have been said; I ignored God’s voice telling me to walk the other way; I refused to forgive; I thought too highly of myself. And when I realized what I got myself into, the only thing I could think of doing was crying out to God for help.

While God fully desires us to be obedient, he knows our human nature and capability to mess things up from time to time. He wants us to call out to Him. He longs for us to recognize our need for Him. So even when we open the door of our hearts to something less than God’s best and our lives are turned inside out and upside down, He will come and restore us to who we are meant to be.

Thank you God, for being full of mercy and grace and hearing me when I call out. Thank you God, for not turning your back on me when my mess is a result of my foolishness. Thank you God, for loving me unconditionally, that even though I may have to suffer the consequences of my actions, you redeem me.

-Bethany Ligon

Reflection Questions

  1. When has your disobedience caused the need for restoration?
  2. Is there an area of your life that you have already experienced God’s restoration? What did it look like when it was in ruins? What does restoration look/feel like?
  3. What has God revealed about Himself in today’s Bible reading?
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