Remember

I am subbing for Pastor Harry today, so you are hearing from me two days in a row.

Like the psalm before it, Psalm 74 is a maskil (believed to be a literary or musical term) of Asaph. In it, Asaph implores God to remember the past when God first brought the Children of Israel into the Promised Land. Asaph recognizes how his people have rejected God and turned from Him and, as a result, how God has allowed their enemies to prosper against them. Because of this, he cries out to God to remember His chosen people and reminds God of how His enemies do not respect His name. We see this:

in verse 2, where he writes, “Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed...”

And in verse 18, “Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord, how foolish people have reviled your name.”

It's actually very funny, when I think about it, and makes me laugh out loud - for God does not need reminders, as He does not forget. He is Omniscient (knows everything) and operates outside of time.

We, on the other hand… we definitely need reminders of what God has done. For, like the Children of Israel, we often forget how good and gracious our God has been to us.

As I look at my own life, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the negative circumstances of the here and now and forget how God has been faithful throughout the years. In the moment, I can lose sight of all that God has done for me. But when I pause to remember His goodness, His mercy, and His grace, I find peace, strength, and hope for whatever I am up against - knowing that He has been, is, and will be faithful to see me through it.

Then, in verses 19 and 22, Asaph calls for God to take action, to not let the Children of Israel suffer and to defend His cause.

Verse 19: ...do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

Verse 22: Rise up, O God, and defend your cause...

We, too, like Asaph, desire that God would take immediate action against our difficult circumstances and situations. We want instant gratification; we want God to fix it… NOW!

However, there are times when God allows trials and struggles in our lives, as it helps us grow and it causes us to return to Him and realize how desperately we need Him.

So, when you are up against a wall and life is beating you down, REMEMBER that God has not forgotten you. Remind yourself of all that God has already done for you, and know that He is always faithful. He will bring restoration to you in His way and in His time. He will not forget you, and He will rise up and defend you. For you are His chosen one, His child, and He loves you more than you could ever know.

Friends, as our Psalms for the Summer devotionals come to a close this week, I am reminded of what I wrote when we began this journey together. On May 2, I wrote regarding the Psalms for the Summer” “Our prayer is that these devotionals will draw you closer to Jesus and bring you hope and encouragement amid the difficulties and challenges of life.”

I hope and pray you have experienced exactly that!

Pastor Ken

‍