Psalm 74:22

Psalm 74:22

“Rise up, O God, and defend Your cause …” 

This statement has overtones of my mother calling to me to get up and get ready for school! I don’t think that there is any inference here that God is drowsy and needs to be awakened. I suspect that this is simply a call for immediate action, asking that the Lord should not delay in defending His cause. What is interesting is that you do not make this kind of request if you believe the cause to be lost! The Israelites had not yet given up hope, well at least Asaph hadn’t. He still believed in God. He believed that their captivity would end. He still held on to the Covenant promises and that the Lord would come and save His people and lead them back to the Land of Promise. Could any other nation in the world make such a claim upon a deity? Would any other nation still proceed in hope when all the circumstances pointed to terminal banishment? 

Just to stir the Lord up a little bit more, Asaph points out that the foolish Babylonians are mocking Him, not just occasionally, but endlessly, all day long. Surely any God who has respect for His reputation must do something about this?

What a blessing it has been, throughout my life, to meet men and women who have endured the most appalling tragedies and losses and yet have never thrown in the towel of faith. Somehow, the depth of their suffering has enhanced and strengthened their trust in the Lord. This is not least because He travels with us through the dark places and also because if we cannot hope in Him, what else is left? Whatever happens to us we must cling on and keep the dialogue going even if it seems to be manipulative. The Lord will bring us through, however dark the tunnel may be. Hallelujah! 

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