Arise and Redeem Us! (5)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 44.19-22
But You have severely broken us in the place of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Sing Psalm 44.19-22, 23-26
(Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
Crushed and consumed in the shadows of darkness, we would remember You, Jesus, our King!
Though we are trampled, like sheep for the slaughter, yet of Your faithfulness, Lord, we will sing!
Refrain vv. 23-26
Rise up, awake, O Lord! Hide not Your face from us,
see our affliction, our suffering and pain!
See how our soul is sunk down with oppression;
Rise up and help and redeem us we pray!

Read Psalm 44.17-22

Preparation
1. Why were the psalmists puzzled about the suffering they were enduring?

2. How can you see this psalm pointing to Jesus?

Meditation
As they waited on the Lord, the psalmists were puzzled: They could not find any reason why God should have inflicted this chastening upon His people (vv. 17, 18, 20). God does nothing without a reason. It’s just that the reason is not always made known to us. No surprise there (Is. 55.8, 9; Ps. 139.17, 18). God promised us that in this life we would know tribulation (Jn. 16.33). He didn’t promise we would always know why.

So what lesson should we draw from this? Three, I think.

First, whenever we come into trials, and especially when we can’t understand why, our duty is to rejoice and give thanks to God, not to stubbornly persist in complaining (ask Job, and see Jms. 1.2-4).

Second, keep in mind that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and no one can know it perfectly (Jer. 17.9). The sons of Korah may well have been speaking as the nation of Israel when they insisted that their hearts “had not turned back” from the Lord (v. 17). In fact, Solomon and the people were already turning away from God, even amid His rich blessings, and they were apparently oblivious to this (1 Kings. 11.1ff).

Finally, sometimes God brings us to suffering so that we can better identify with Jesus (cf. v. 22; Rom. 8.36-39). The gatekeepers who composed this psalm could not see the suffering of Jesus, but the Spirit used them to point us to it anyway, and to remind us that, as it is a gift to know and believe in Jesus, so also it is a gift to suffer with Him (Phil. 1.29, 30).

We must receive all the good gifts of our Lord with gratitude, patience, rejoicing, and hope (Job 2.10). And in so doing, let us hold on.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The sons of Korah knew that faithfulness to God was important. They were, no doubt, trying to show what faithfulness looked like, and trying to set a good example for the people to follow.

They declared that, even in light of their suffering “we have not forgotten You, nor have we dealt falsely with Your covenant. Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from Your way…” (vv. 17, 18).

They were saying to the people, “Here is God’s truth. Walk in it!”

Jesus takes up right where the sons of Korah left off. He tells potential followers, who have a zillion excuses as to why they can’t follow Him right that moment, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9.62).

Jesus also said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mk. 8.38).

When we are suffering and sad, we are called to not forget God, or deal falsely with His covenant, or let our hearts turn back away from Him, or follow another path. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14. 6). To Him we must be faithful. To Him we must “Hold On”!

Reflection
1. Why should we regard our times of suffering as a gift from the Lord?

2. How can we respond to suffering so that we grow through it into greater levels of sanctification?

3. How can believers help one another during times of suffering, so that we can all hold on together?

…the faithful, although in their adversities they do not perceive any obvious reason for being so dealt with, yet they rest assured of this, and regard it as a fixed principle, that God has some good reasons for treating them so severely. At the same time, it is proper to observe, that the godly do not speak in this place of the time past, but rather allege their patient endurance, which was no small token of their piety, since, in the most humble manner, they thus bowed their neck to the yoke of God. John Calvin (1509-1564), NKJV Commentary on Psalm 44.17
 
Closing Prayer: Psalm 44.17, 18, 23-26
Meditate on Genesis 12.1-3. Pray these promises back to God. Call on Him to revive and renew His Church, and to awaken the world to the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom.

Sing Psalm 44.17, 18, 23-26
(Faithfulness: Great is Thy Faithfulness)
All this has come on us, but we remember: You are our covenant God and our King!
Turn back our hearts to adore and extol You; Lord, keep our steps as Your praises we sing.
Refrain vv. 23-26
Rise up, awake, O Lord! Hide not Your face from us,
see our affliction, our suffering and pain!
See how our soul is sunk down with oppression;
Rise up and help and redeem us we pray!

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to our summary of last week’s study by clicking here.

Praying the Psalms
In this series, we are examining twelve psalms, learning their content, drawing on their wisdom, and praying and singing them to the Lord. For a fuller explanation of how to pray the psalms, order a copy of our book, God’s Prayer Program. It’s free by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.