Written by: Hugh Boorman - Church Army
Psalm 44 v 17-22
All these things have happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or failed
to keep our agreement with you.
Our hearts haven't turned away from you, and we haven't stopped following you.
But you crushed us in this place where wild dogs live, and you covered us with
deep darkness.
If we had forgotten our God or lifted our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
God would have known, because he knows what is in our hearts.
But for you we are in danger of death all the time.
People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed.
Notes
"It's not fair!"
That's a phrase regularly heard in our house. No matter how my wife and I try to be even-handed, our sons each seem to feel that they get the duff end of the deal. You can hear that same protest echo in this passage.
If you've been following this psalm you'll know that the writer recalls how he had been taught of God's love and protection but now God seems to have left his people in the lurch. They have been defeated in battle and are being plundered. And so he comes to the "It's not fair!" bit. He spells out that they've done nothing wrong – they're still sticking with God - and reminds God that he should know that.
Perhaps the writer makes the wrong assessment of the situation. He seems to think that he suffers because God is unhappy with him and is allowing him to be punished. It's easy to jump to that conclusion in our lives too. But there's a clue in the passage to the true cause of their suffering.
The writer says: "But for you we are in danger". That doesn't mean that it is God's fault; rather, it's the very fact that they remain faithful to God that causes others to threaten them. We shouldn't be surprised. After all, Jesus regularly warned his disciples that if they wanted to follow him they would have to pick up their cross.
No one said that being a Christian would be easy but, let's face it, we'd rather have the "being loved" bit and leave the sacrifice to Jesus. But it's not like that. Following Christ calls us to make sacrifices and face dangers and, like the psalmist, it calls us to remain faithful no matter what. Who says Christianity's for wimps?
Prayer
Father, strengthen me by your Spirit to face the trials and difficulties of
the day, and help me to remain faithful to you because you are always faithful
to me. Amen
Psalm 44 v 23-26
Wake up, Lord! Why are you sleeping?
Get up! Don't reject us for ever.
Why do you hide from us?
Have you forgotten our pain and troubles?
We have been pushed down into the dirt; we are flat on the ground.
Get up and help us.
Because of your love, save us.
Notes
The psalmist is getting to the end of his patience. "Why are you sleeping?" (Is
it me, or did you think of Darla in "Finding Nemo" as you read that
first line?) "Don't reject us! Why do you hide? Have you forgotten? Look
what state we are in! Pull your finger out and save us!"
And these are the last lines of this psalm. It doesn't end "happy ever after" but rather with the psalmist desperately pleading for help.
I can think of times in my life when I, too, have felt at rock bottom – feeling cut off, rejected, ignored, forgotten. Things couldn't get any worse, I thought, and I've prayed to God. What happened? Things did get worse! Perhaps you've been through a time like that too, or maybe you're going through such a time now.
One thing to draw from this reading is that it's OK to rant and rave at God. The very fact that this psalm is included in the Bible shows that God doesn't just want to hear our thanks and praise. He is big enough to allow us to let off both barrels and hold none of our anger back.
And God knows what it feels like too. When Jesus hung on the cross, he shouted out to his Father, "My God, my God, why have you rejected me?" (Matthew 27 v 46). I can't begin to imagine what that must have felt like for the Son of God.
But probably the most important thing is that, despite all that the writer was going through, he hung onto two facts in the last line: God could save him (he is not impotent), and God loved him.
It may not appear to be a lot when life seems pants, but it's a good starting place.
Prayer
Loving Father, I pray for all those who are having a really hard time at the
moment. May they be particularly aware of your love and protection. Give
them the faith to hold onto you, come what may. In Jesus' name, Amen
Psalm 45 v 1
Beautiful words fill my mind.
I am speaking of royal things.
My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer.
Notes
I'm a bit of a fan of Genesis, the music group. Back in 1981 they brought out
a song called "Keep it Dark" in which a man is taken to paradise
and given a vision of what is like to live in total harmony. When he returns,
he longs to tell people what he has witnessed but instead he's told to "keep
it dark" and a story is constructed about him being kidnapped by a group
of criminals to explain away his temporary absence.
I sometimes feel that we Christians seem to follow the same instruction. You and I have experienced the most fantastic thing that will ever happen in world history. Through Christ's death on the cross, God has said to us, "Hey, I know you've screwed up in the past and, no doubt, you'll do it again, but I love you more than you can ever realise and I welcome you as my very own child."
Isn't that great? Shouldn't we tell everyone about that so they can experience it for themselves? Perhaps sometimes we do, but I have to admit that there are times when I "keep it dark" for an easier life.
How I wish I was more like the writer of Psalm 45. There was no way he was going to keep quiet. His mind was not just filled with fantastic news, he was bubbling over. He was going to wax lyrical about his good news and no one was going to stop him.
Today, ask God for the opportunity to tell others about his love and the courage to grasp those opportunities.
Prayer
Father God, thank you for the people who had the courage to tell me about your
love. Give me the words to share that good news with those around me. Amen
Psalm 45 v 2-9
You are more handsome than anyone, and you are an excellent speaker, so God
has blessed you for ever.
Put on your sword, powerful warrior.
Show your glory and majesty.
In your majesty win the victory for what is true and right.
Your power will do amazing things.
Your sharp arrows will enter the hearts of the king's enemies.
Nations will be defeated before you.
God, your throne will last for ever and ever.
You will rule your kingdom with fairness.
You love right and hate evil, so God has chosen you from among your friends;
he has set you apart with much joy.
Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes and cassia.
From palaces of ivory music comes to make you happy.
Kings' daughters are among your honoured women.
Your bride stands at your right side wearing gold from Ophir.
Notes
This psalm is identified as a royal wedding song and here the writer starts
by focusing on the groom, the king.
I don't know how many royal weddings you've lived through but I am always struck by what the TV and radio commentators seem to focus on. We get told who's wearing what, who designed it, how many metres of material were used and so on. Often a few months down the line other brides and grooms are wearing cheaper versions of the same at their own weddings. We seem to concentrate so much on the decoration and glitz of the day that we forget that marriage "till death us do part" will be difficult and will require hard work, as several royals (as well as many others) have demonstrated.
Of course, it's not just weddings that cause us to worry about our appearance. Society's message is that we need to wear the right gear with the right labels, drive the right car, have the right figure, etc, if we're to be acceptable.
On the other hand the psalmist's approach is very different. He still touches on the trivia of the day - the king is handsome and smells like the perfume counter of a large department store - but mostly he describes the king's character. It's those qualities that he needs to be a successful king and hopefully help his marriage work, not expensive clothes.
Perhaps we also need to concentrate on our attitudes and qualities, rather than our appearance, so that we can bring truth and right to the world around us.
Prayer
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out
anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting
life. Amen
Psalm 139 v 23-24 (New Living Translation)
Psalm 45 v 10-17
Listen to me, daughter; look and pay attention.
Forget your people and your father's family.
The king loves your beauty.
Because he is your master, you should obey him.
People from the city of Tyre have brought a gift.
Wealthy people will want to meet you.
The princess is very beautiful.
Her gown is woven with gold.
In her beautiful clothes she is brought to the king.
Her bridesmaids follow behind her, and they are also brought to him.
They come with happiness and joy; they enter the king's palace.
You will have sons to replace your fathers.
You will make them rulers through all the land.
I will make your name famous from now on, so people will praise you for ever
and ever.
Notes
Previously we read what the writer had to say about the king in this royal
wedding song. Now he turns his attention to the bride. Again, while he touches
on her appearance, he has far more important things to say.
Confronting change and stepping into the unknown is never easy, but it is something that we all have to cope with a number of times in our lives, and this time of year seems to bring about its fair share of changes. As well as plenty of weddings, some will be moving schools (either as a pupil or a teacher), others will be leaving school to go to university or college, still others will be starting work for the first time. And please remember those leaving theology colleges to start at various churches and possibly wondering if they are really prepared for that.
The psalmist recognises the bride's anxiety but delivers a simple message. She needs to leave her past behind. She will have sons and be famous (both signs of God's blessing) because she is doing what God wants.
When my wife and I got married, we chose to end the service with "You'll Never Walk Alone", not just to keep my in-laws happy (my wife's from Liverpool) but to declare that we wanted God firmly in the centre of the relationship. As Proverbs 16 v 3 says: "Depend on the Lord in whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."
If you are facing changes in your life at the moment, why not offer the situation to God so that he can be in the thick of it with you and help you see it through?
Prayer
Father God, thank you that you know all my concerns and anxieties. I want to
commit all aspects of my life to you so that we can face them together. Help
me to let go of my worries and to walk with you for your glory's sake. Amen
Psalm 46 v 1-6
God is our protection and our strength.
He always helps in times of trouble.
So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes, or the mountains fall into
the sea, even if the oceans roar and foam, or the mountains shake at the raging
sea.
There is a river that brings joy to the city of God, the holy place where God
Most High lives.
God is in that city, and so it will not be shaken.
God will help her at dawn.
Nations tremble and kingdoms shake.
God shouts and the earth crumbles.
Notes
More than six months have gone by since the tsunami hit Asia and Africa at
the end of 2004, but the pictures of such a horrific disaster, I am sure,
are still raw in people's memories. In Asia there are still millions of people
trying to put some sense of normality back into their lives, and right across
the globe people continue to mourn the death or disappearance of loved ones,
some of whom will never be found.
Such events continue to raise the question of why God allows suffering or perhaps cause people (like the owner of my local fish and chip shop) to wonder how near we are to the end of the world.
The writer of this psalm recognises that disasters happen. He seems to see earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and the like as simply the earth being remodelled, just as he realises that nations, kingdoms and empires will come and go throughout history. But more importantly he turns to God for his protection, recognising that he is in charge of all of his creation. God is all powerful and if he wants he can simply shout and cause the earth to crumble.
It is easy to then ask, "Well, why doesn't God stop disasters if he is so powerful?" But the psalmist doesn't bother himself with the "why"s, "where"s and "when"s of disasters. He accepts creation for what it is and accepts God for who he is – all powerful, but also a mystery who none of us will understand this side of heaven.
Prayer
Almighty God, I pray for all those still struggling with the repercussions
of the tsunami and other disasters. None of us understand the reasons for
it, Lord, but help all of us to put our trust in you, our loving Protector,
through Jesus Christ. Amen
Psalm 46 v 7-11
The LORD All-Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender.
Come and see what the LORD has done, the amazing things he has done on the
earth.
He stops wars everywhere on the earth.
He breaks all bows and spears and burns up the chariots with fire.
God says, "Be quiet and know that I am God.
I will be supreme over all the nations;
I will be supreme in the earth."
The LORD All-Powerful is with us; the God of Jacob is our defender.
Notes
Do you ever get wound up by how others treat God? Early this year the BBC received
a record number of complaints even before it showed "Jerry Springer – the
Opera" because many regarded it as blasphemous.
Very soon after becoming a Christian I moved departments at work where I met a rather short man with the nickname of "the Poison Dwarf". He took great pleasure in winding people up and seemed to have a natural ability to cause maximum hurt or anger with minimum effort. He soon sussed out that, with me being a Christian, he only needed to tell a blasphemous joke or use God's name as a curse. Many a time I would go home seething about him.
Then I discovered Psalm 46 and one line jumped out at me: "God says, ‘Be quiet and know that I am God.'" I felt God say to me, "Chill out. Remember who I am. I can fight my own corner."
Soon after, the Poison Dwarf asked me to look at his computer where he had created a message mocking Jesus carrying the cross through the streets on Good Friday. Hanging on to the psalm (but feeling pretty angry inside) I congratulated him on his creativity but pointed out that, as it was Palm Sunday, he'd got the wrong day. He got back to work on his "masterpiece" and was about to call me over again when he was caught by our boss who told him off, not just for wasting work time but also for mocking my faith.
I went home that night very happy and wondering if God was saying, "I told you so!"
Since then, whenever I find myself floundering, feeling inadequate, angry or frustrated, I remind myself of that verse, and its promise still holds true.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, when I face difficult people, hard decisions or frustrating
circumstances, help me to be still and remember who you are – the
all-powerful God. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes