Psalm 74

A maskil of Asaph.

1 Why have you rejected us forever, O God?
Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

2 Remember the people you purchased of old,
the tribe of your inheritance, whom you redeemed—
Mount Zion, where you dwelt.

3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins,
all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.

4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us;
they set up their standards as signs.

5 They behaved like men wielding axes
to cut through a thicket of trees.

6 They smashed all the carved paneling
with their axes and hatchets.

7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground;
they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.

8 They said in their hearts, "We will crush them completely!"
They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.

9 We are given no miraculous signs;
no prophets are left,
and none of us knows how long this will be.

10 How long will the enemy mock you, O God?
Will the foe revile your name forever?

11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand?
Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!

12 But you, O God, are my king from of old;
you bring salvation upon the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;
you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan
and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert.

15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;
you dried up the ever flowing rivers.

16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;
you established the sun and moon.

17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;
you made both summer and winter.

18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, O LORD,
how foolish people have reviled your name.

19 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts;
do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever.

20 Have regard for your covenant,
because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land.

21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace;
may the poor and needy praise your name.

22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause;
remember how fools mock you all day long.

23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries,
the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.

Every time when we gather together as a cell group, one of the things that we should do is to give thanks to God. It will be even better if we can regularly record down our thanksgivings.

As we read Psalm 74:2-9, we know the psalmist and his people (presumably the Israelites) were in terrible circumstances. The Babylonians invaded the Promised Land, destroyed the Temple of God and exiled almost the entire nation of Israel. No signs of miracles, no prophets.

How much worse can things get?

Yet, after all the complaints, the psalmist proclaimed (in verse 12) that God was still his King, and He will save his people. I believe that the psalmist was able to do it because he remembered the things that the Lord has done in the past. Psalm 74:13-17 recounts the mighty acts of God.

That is why right we need to record our thanksgiving regularly. When things start to fall apart in our lives, we can always go back and reflect on the thanksgivings. Then we will have the confidence to believe that God whom has brought us through before WILL bring us through again.


Admittedly, I have not been recording down my thanksgivings properly this year. I was supposed to update them regularly on my blog, but I kept forgetting. Today's pslam really reminds me of the importance of writing down thanksgivings.


Things to ponder
1. When was the last time you recorded down a thanksgiving?
2. How thankful to God are you (in terms of your present circumstances)? Rate 1 to 10 (10 means most thankful!).
3. Write down at least 3 thanksgivings for the year 2008. Start with "I thank God for ...".
4. Pray for yourself to have a thankful heart always.