All this has come upon us,
though we have not forgotten you,
and we have not been false to your covenant.
Our heart has not turned back,
nor have our steps departed from your way;
yet you have 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 spread out our hands to a foreign god,
would not God discover this?
For he knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for your sake we are killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.
Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever!
Why do you hide your face?
Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to the dust;
our belly clings to the ground.
Rise up; come to our help!
Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!
Comment: The story of Job reminds us very strongly that God has reasons to occasionally allow what seems like punishment but it is not! In Job’s case it was to show Job’s goodness against all the blasts of Satanic hatred! James points out that God does not tempt His people to sin. He allows considerable freedom to the enemy but it is for totally good reasons.
Apart from their problems being a result of their sinning God’s people are to be involved with the battle for truth and righteousness and for all that marks them as being on God’s side. But we can trust God! God’s people can go through hard times. In Job’s case God chose to let Job’s goodness outshine the efforts of Satan. God uses evil people and His enemies to bring His final plan to conclusion, But as to saying ‘I am perfect and God is failing to keep His promises’, I cannot go there. I think that the Psalmist shows his own imperfection here but it is delight to hear him lay bare our need for God to act and to proclaim our passionate desire to see God in resplendent victory! We must be very, very wary of accusing God of fault!
Prayer: I don’t want to try and hide my true guilt or be weighed down by false guilt. Thank You, Father God, for Your constant love.
As I read it! 