Questions I often hear from kids are “Why?” and “How much longer?” Honestly, I ask these questions a lot myself. When I’m dealing with a situation where I feel wronged or things seem unfair or I simply don’t understand what God has planned. The psalmist spends the first half of this passage crying out to God asking these questions about the plight of His people. He feels alone and abandoned during this time of desolation. He wonders how long the enemy will triumph and why it seems that God has pulled away. He is broken over the destruction of the temple. He is longing for God’s presence. Though he sits in a place of anguish, crying out and questioning, he does not wallow there.
Yet God my King is from of old,
working salvation in the midst of the earth.
Psalm 74:12
At the mid-point of this Psalm, he pivots and recalls God’s goodness. He calls to mind the ways God has delivered His people in the past. He remembers God’s creative power. The psalmist can have faith and trust in the one true God, the Creator King, because he has an understanding of who God is. He can cry out for mercy and redemption because he knows his God is faithful. I challenge you, as I do myself, when your spirit is unsettled, when nothing seems just, when you just want to cry out in frustration….Do. Do cry out. But choose to cry out to the God you know is listening. And then remember. Remember that He is faithful, just, loving, and all-knowing. Recall the times in your life where He has provided and worked for your good and His glory…praise Him for those times. Seek his guidance as you navigate your struggles and find peace knowing that He has not abandoned you.
VC Devotionals 