"We have heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and made our ancestors flourish. 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."
- Psalm 144:1-3 -

The psalms are the most brutally honest part of the Bible. In addition to worship, praise and thankfulness, they express the exasperation and confusion of relating to an omnipotent God. Why does he act the way he sometimes does? Why does he apparently not act at all, particularly in relation to suffering and injustice in the world? Is it because our lifestyles and our prayers aren’t up to scratch? Well, no. God would have told us if that had been the case (vs 17–22). Is it because we’ve been tempted to trust in ‘my bow’ and ‘my sword’ (v 6) rather than ‘your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face’ (v 3)? Maybe, because we’ve all occasionally tried to take things into our own hands, to hurry things along. However, that’s not the whole answer.

The psalm gives no easy answers. It ends with a miserable, oppressed man groveling in the dust and reaching out to the one certainty, that God’s love never fails (v 26). It’s a cliffhanger. Thankfully, we know what the culmination will be. Paul quotes this psalm before writing his great assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Thank God for that.

Prayer: Mighty God, you love me and have a plan for my life. Although at times it seems I have been forgotten, that is never the case. Praise God you are always there with me.

(A Summary from Encounter with God)