A Prayer of the Desperate
Opening Prayer
Mighty Lord, You are the God of wisdom, power and love. I’m grateful for all that You are to me.
Read PSALM 79
1 O God, the nations have invaded your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple,
they have reduced Jerusalem to rubble.
2 They have left the dead bodies of your servants
as food for the birds of the sky,
the flesh of your own people for the animals of the wild.
3 They have poured out blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there is no one to bury the dead.
4 We are objects of contempt to our neighbors,
of scorn and derision to those around us.
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like fire?
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that do not acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name;
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.
8 Do not hold against us the sins of past generations;
may your mercy come quickly to meet us,
for we are in desperate need.
9 Help us, God our Savior,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes, make known among the nations
that you avenge the outpoured blood of your servants.
11 May the groans of the prisoners come before you;
with your strong arm preserve those condemned to die.
12 Pay back into the laps of our neighbors seven times
the contempt they have hurled at you, Lord.
13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will praise you forever;
from generation to generation
we will proclaim your praise.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
In the New Testament, we are reminded that God’s discipline is a sign of his love (cf. Heb. 12:5–11; Rev. 3:19). He wants us to take seriously his call to obedience and holy living, to become more like Christ.
This psalm was written at the time of some devastating national disaster, probably the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The description of Jerusalem as a heap of ruins, with bodies unburied because there is no one to bury them, reminds us of the atrocities we witness night after night on the news, situations far from our own experience. We don’t know how to respond. How do we pray when this kind of thing goes on incessantly? We are numb.
As I thought about this I realized that one reason I don’t pray as I should for these situations is that I don’t have an answer to propose to God. As soon as I write this down I realize how absurd that is. Look at what the psalmist does. He simply describes to God the situation as he sees it and his feelings as he feels them. His prayer consists of four parts. First, a plea for God to act rationally (as he sees it). Pour out your anger on the perpetrators! Why us? Look what our enemies will say about you, God, if you don’t do something! Then he recognizes that we, the Israelites, have sinned and can’t claim to be innocent (8) and he prays for compassion.
Third, he desperately desires vengeance—but places this desire before God, where it belongs. Lastly, his confidence in God is restored. To pray like this takes persistence, patience and faith. It would be 600 years before his prayer for atonement (9; “atone” in ESV, “forgive” in NIV) was answered. Exile, return (with disappointment) and 400 years of silence from God would come in between.
Apply
God does not discipline us on a whim. What has God been saying to you recently that you have not taken seriously? What action do you need to take?
Closing prayer
Sovereign Lord, I lift up to You those who live in the midst of war. Bring hope to them in this dark time. Give me sensitivity to Your voice, so that I heed Your call and live obediently for You.
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