“Who are you trying to fool?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, March 7, 2022
Psalm 44 (Forward, p. 37) CEV p. 581
It is interesting. The Scriptures are studded with references that allege that there is no one on earth who is righteous, who is wholly without sin. (For evidence of this, see Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53: 1-3, Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10, 23 and 1 John 1:18). And yet the people of today’s psalm claim as much. Just listen to their words, their complaint to God:
“All of this has happened to us, though we didn’t forget you or break our agreement. We always kept you in mind and followed your teaching. But you crushed us, and you covered us with deepest darkness where wild animals live” (verses 17-19);
“We did not forget you or lift our hands in prayer to foreign gods. You would have known it because you discover every secret thought. We face death all day for you. We are like sheep on their way to be slaughtered” (verses 20-22).
They are facing a myriad of calamities: death, defeat in war, and exile, plus shame and ridicule at hands of their neighbours and enemies. They attribute all of this to the hand of God, and quite obviously, feel that this is manifestly unfair, an unjust action on the part of God. And yet, even so, they do not give up on God. They continue to go to God in prayer and demand of God an answer and a relief from their current problems.
To me, this provides an important and bracing message and reminder. We may not, in our present age and with our current understanding, attribute all of our problems to the hand of God, and we ‘probably’ don’t try to fool ourselves into saying that we are fully good and righteous and never guilty of any sin or wrongdoing. We don’t try to fool ourselves, or anyone else, in this way. But we may quite reasonably consider that we don’t deserve our present woes and problems. So, in this, we are quite like ancient Israel. And in this too, we should resolutely and faithfully go to God for help in our troubles and for relief in the midst of them. Amen.
Forward notes: “We have heard with our ears, O God, our forefathers have told us, the deeds you did inn their days, in the days of old” (verse 1).
“When I was young, I asked my grandmother to tell me stories about her childhood. I loved hearing about how different life was then, how her family had few possessions but much love. I knew that I, too, was part of her story, her love.
“Psalm 44 begins with the Israelites’ memory of stories told to them by their ancestors. The goodness of God toward their ancestors anchored them in the faith that God would be good to them and deliver them from their enemies. But God seems to be asleep and deaf to their pleas for help. ‘Awake!’ they cry. They do not doubt that God is present. They just want God to wake up!
“Maybe you have felt that way in your life. You don’t doubt God, but you feel alone and troubled. During those times, remember the stories of our ancestors, detailed here in the psalms and throughout Scripture. They proclaim God’s favour and, as with the tales from my grandmother, assure us of steadfast and abiding love.”
Moving Forward: “Have you ever wanted God to wake up? How often do you think god wants you to wake up?”
