Psalm 44: Recalling God's power and goodness amidst the storms of life
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.
4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.
There is a book I’m currently reading, that talks about a cookie jar. This cookie jar is a mental remembrance of accomplishments, and times you’ve overcome doubts, fears, troubles and gained victory. The author looks to these victories as cookies to pull out when he needed a push, when he needed mental strength and encouragement to overcome a current challenge.
David in a much greater way has a cookie jar, but in this cookie jar is great accomplishments and reminders of when God delivered His people. Psalm 44 speaks of the nation of Israel in a season of great defeat, calling out to God for rescue. Some have thought it to be a psalm of the exile period or even afterwards in the days of the Maccabees. Yet there is reason enough to keep this psalm in the days of Israel’s monarchy.
David recalls the great deeds, of those who have gone before him, the fathers of the faith. These men had a special legacy of God working through them in the past. David is aware of all that God had accomplished through his ancestors and how God delivered them time and time again. David is also knows where all the credit Goes, to God alone.
In remembering all the wonderful deeds of God, and how God alone delivered them in days of trouble in the past, David looks to God to do the same thing in the present, that as they overcome their trouble, and their sin, they can remember that God delivers. Amidst the storms of life, whether due to sin or any other circumstance, remember the all that God has done in the past, and that His power and goodness is available to all that look to Him today as well!