Wake Up, God!
Opening Prayer
Lord God, when I think back on my life and how You’ve blessed me, I can only bow in worship.
Read Psalm 44:1-26
[1] For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. [2] With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish. [3] It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. [4] You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. [5] Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. [6] I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; [7] but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. [8] In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. [9] But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. [10] You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us. [11] You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations. [12] You sold your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale. [13] You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us. [14] You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us. [15] I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame [16] at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge. [17] All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant. [18] Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path. [19] But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; you covered us over with deep darkness. [20] If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, [21] would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart? [22] Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. [23] Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. [24] Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? [25] We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. [26] Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION
Reflect
How did these people come to flourish in times past?During difficult times, the hardest thing can be to speak to God. Our thoughts are jumbled and confused. We try to focus on him and fail. We might not even be sure that it’s worth speaking at all. When we are like that, psalms such as this can give us words which we can’t find ourselves. This psalm is to be prayed more than studied, spoken more than analyzed. The background is national disaster (9,10). It wasn’t just the events themselves which had caused suffering, it was their emotional aftermath. All of this had taken its toll on the people (13,14), and especially on their leader (15,16). Many would have given up by now, but the psalmist is committed to God (4). He recognizes God as the source of all his success (5-7). He knows that God has been utterly faithful in the past (1-3). But he has also searched his own heart (21) and just cannot see why God is allowing this suffering. So he now tells God exactly what he thinks (23-26)! And in the process this psalm gives us the words and the permission to cry to God from the depths of our own hearts, too.
Apply
Does something make you want to say, “Rise up and help us” (26)? Pray this psalm aloud as your own prayer.
Closing prayer
Lord, You are my help in all things and at all times. I know I can trust in You.
Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.
© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.
Discovery is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.