HELP! WHERE IS GOD? DOES HE ALWAYS KEEP HIS PROMISES?
If God exists, then why does he allow evil, suffering, and death? Why does he allow innocent victims to suffer? Why does he allow the wicked to prosper? Can we really rely on God’s promises? How can we maintain our mental health in an unfair world?
We are journeying through the Book of Psalms. This week, we look at Psalms 79, Psalms 88, Psalms 69, Psalms 22, Psalm 77, and Psalms 73. In these Psalms, we are assured that God hears us and delivers us.)
Take this journey with us, with God and His heavenly host, as we learn how and what it means to pray using the Psalms.
The Psalms are prayers and hymns snugged within the heart of the Bible.
Bursting forth in praise, exultation, sorrow, and sometimes hearts of desperation, these sacred verses have been echoed in private prayer closets and in public spaces alike.
The Psalms have been expressed on the lips of people from every walk of life, from the person standing on the street corner to top leading officials.
Psalms are choruses that transcend time and space.
As we journey through the Psalms, may they be a guiding light to lead you into a deeper relationship with God.
Review our past and present videos at SabbathSchoolDaily.com or visit my YouTube Channel,
Sabbath School Daily by Dr. Brenda Ware Davis
Inviting God’s Presence:
Oh God, do not hold against us the sins of past generations; may your mercy come quickly to save us, for we are in desperate need of your help. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 1
This world filled with its wickedness and destruction is not our home. It is our temporary dwelling place until we reach our permanent home.
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land? (Psalms 137:4)
It does not take long to read the Book of Psalms to discover that like the poem titled: Mother to the Son written by Langton Hughes, Life ain’t no crystal stair.
The Psalms are spoken in a world filled with sin, evil, suffering, and death. The enemies of God, Satan, and all his followers, are always at work to destroy this earth and attack God’s holy laws, which reveal His character.
What’s more, as sin and evil continue to persist, life on this earth is getting worse and worse. It comes as no surprise that God’s people and His followers often feel, at times, that living on this earth is the same as living in a “foreign country” or a strange land.
The writers of the Book of the Psalms often felt this way. They often wondered, “How do you live a life of faith in a strange land?”
From our previous lessons on the Book of Psalms, we noticed that regardless of how bad things appear to be, the psalmists always acknowledge God’s sovereign rule and power.
They recognized that irrespective of their circumstances, God is still in control, and his judgments are righteous.
In other words, how He moves and the decisions He makes regarding us and the world around us is for our good.
The psalmist also believed that no matter what, God is faithful, and He always keeps his promises.
He is our everlasting and never-failing refuge and help in times of trouble.
Because of whom God is, the psalmists, at times, were perplexed and a bit confused when it, at times, it seemed as though the wicked were winning.
They wondered about the presence of God in circumstances in which evil seems to flourish in the face of the good and almighty Sovereign Lord.
At times, they would wonder where God is.
This should not come as a surprise because we hear those same words amid a terrible disaster.
However, we must remember that the poems in the Book of Psalms are also prayers. In these prayers, the psalmists express how they feel when God is silent and does not immediately answer their prayers.
Maybe you have even felt that way, too, when you prayed. You may have wondered why God didn’t answer your prayers right away.
Or perhaps you may have felt that God was not with you in your time of trouble. What should we do during the times when God is silent when it seems as though he is not there?
Pause and carefully Read Psalm 74:18-22 and Psalm 79:5-13, then View the next segment of this video: Day 2: The Days of Evil
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 2: The Days of Evil
Psalms 74 and Psalms 79 are also prayers. Here, the psalmist is attempting to understand the controversy between God and Satan. The psalmist wants to grasp this war between good and evil.
Hence, the psalmist points to God’s forbearance, infinite wisdom, and power, declaring that God, in times of war, is patient, wise, and powerful.
Notice that In the Book of Psalms, whenever the psalmist talks about evil, they talk of God solving the problem. This shows that the problem of evil in the Psalms is primarily a spiritual one that concerns questions about God and who He is.
For instance,
In the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the psalmists are deeply concerned. They worry that the heathens will use the opportunity to blaspheme God.
They are concerned that the other nations will see God as weak and use the destruction of Jerusalem as an opportunity to point their finger at God.
You see, the people of Israel are God’s inheritance. God gave them His promise in Deuteronomy 4:32-38; and Deuteronomy 32:8, 9.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 says:
8 When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.
9 For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. (Deuteronomy 32:8-9)
Israel is “living proof” that God always keeps His promise. He will never fail
God’s promise to Ancient Israel, today is extended to everyone who accepts His Son Jesus as their savior. When we accept Jesus, we become God’s special treasure, His inheritance.
In fact, in the end, everyone will bow to God. People from every nation, tongue, and people will serve Him.
The palmists are aware that it is Israel’s sins that have hurt their covenantal relationship with God. And they know that it is the sins of their fathers that brought curses on their land and their children.
The Psalmist’s plea in Psalm 79:8, 9 is therefore.
8 Oh, do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, For we have been brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake! (Psalm 79:8, 9) )Split)
He recognized that only God can save His people from the predicament they were in and more important than that is the defense of God’s character.
Thus, the poet cries in Psalm 79:9, asking God to defend them for the sake of glorifying His name.
Help us, O God of our salvation, For the glory of Your name; And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins, For Your name’s sake!” (Psalm 79:9).
It is only when God saves his people that his name will be justified and uplifted before the people.
The psalmist in Psalms 74:18-23, Psalms 83:16-18, and Psalms 106:47 concludes God’s name will be glorified, honored, and praised when he saves them.
As it was with Ancient Israel, so it is with us today. Our sins, our disobedience, and our evil practices can bring disgrace not only upon ourselves but, even worse, to God, the one we profess to worship and honor.
How many people have rejected God because of the evil behavior of Christians?
In other words, when we profess the name of Jesus yet live contrary to how God has asked us to live, we disgrace God and dishonor his name.
“The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved in the perfection of the character of His people.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671
What does this mean to you? How should it change the way you live?
Pause and read Psalm 74:18-22 and Psalm 79:5-13; observe what is at stake. Then continue to the next segment of this video; Day 3: At Death’s Door
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Sing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 3: At Death’s Door
Psalm 41, Psalm 88, and Psalm 102 are prayers asking to be saved from sickness and death. They also reveal the terrible difficulties and hard times God’s people often face in life.
They show that although we are His children in this world, we are not exempt from calamities and hardship. The people of God experience difficulties, suffer hardship, and, yes, they do get sick.
As a matter of fact, the psalmists frequently talk about their own suffering and pain. They talk of not having strength. They tell how they feel like they are withering up like dry grass. They talk about their loss of appetite and don’t feel like eating. They express how they feel as though they are about to die and lie down in the grave. One psalmist reveals that his condition is so repulsive that even his friends stay away from him.
The palmist expresses, in Psalms 102:5, that because of his sadness, he is losing so much weight that his skin hangs off his bones.
The writers in the Book of Psalms believe that God allowed Israel to suffer because they refused to obey him.
The psalmist in Psalms 41: 3 and 4, acknowledging that sin can bring about sickness, talks of the forgiveness that comes from healing, saying:
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.
4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” (Psalm 41:3, 4).
Although disobedience can cause sickness, difficulties, and hardship, sometimes we don’t have to do anything to cause our suffering.
This is the point that Psalm 88 and Psalm 102 make when they talk of how God’s people suffer because they live on an earth filled with sin.
Thus, regardless of how difficult it may be for us to understand it, suffering is part of life.
In Psalm 88, the psalmist charges God for bringing him to the verge of death, saying in Psalms 88:6-8
6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah
8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out; (Psalm 88:6-8).
Yet even in his deepest cries, notice that his lamenting is filled with faith. He believes that though the Lord allowed his suffering, He can save him and bring him back to a good mental state.
When the psalmist feels that he is about to die, he remembers God’s love and care, faithfulness and righteousness and says in Psalms 88:10-12
10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? (Psalm 88:10-12).
So, although the psalmist believes that God punishes him, at the same time, he grabs hold of God and refuses to let go.
He knows that God loves him, and he knows that God is the only One who can save him.
The psalmist’s appeal shows us that he not only knows about suffering, but he also knows intimately about God’s loving mercy. He also knows that his mercy and grace do not excuse suffering. Nor does suffering excuse God’s grace and mercy.
When we look at Psalm 88, we see clear evidence that God is in control regardless of what happens in our lives. This should give us hope. Yes, God may allow suffering. And yes, at times, He saves us from it, but not all the time.
God has control over everything that happens, and whatever happens to us, he allows it for our good or the good of others.
That brings us to Jesus on the cross. Because of sin, God the Father suffered. Jesus suffered worse than any of us. God and Jesus suffered for our good.
But what do you do when you can’t see beyond your suffering?
Pause and Read Psalm 42:1-3, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 69:1-3, and Psalm 102:1-7. Then, view the next segment of this video, Day 4: Where is God?
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 4: Where Is God
Not only does the psalmist experience personal suffering, but there is trouble all around him and among his people. He feels that God is very far away from him. What’s more, to him, it seems as though God is not giving attention to his hardships.
So, in Psalm 42:1-3 and Psalm 63:1, He describes his feeling about God’s seemly lack of attention to his hardship as a dry and waterless land. (Split)
Psalms 42:1-3
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:1-3)
Psalms 63:1
1 O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. (Psalms 63:1)
But he does not stop there, still concerned about God’s seemly inattentiveness to him and his people’s distress; in Psalm 102:2-4 he expresses that he feels sick enough to die.
Psalms 102:2-4
2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble; Incline Your ear to me; In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth. (Split)
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread. (Psalm 102:2-4).
Then, in much distress and feeling all alone, in Psalms 102: 6 and 7, he compares himself to lonely birds, saying:
“I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert. I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop” (Psalm 102:6, 7).
Using the word wilderness, the psalmist reveals his feelings of isolation and loneliness from God. You see, a “lonely bird on a housetop” is not in its nest, where it can rest. Therefore, the psalmist in Psalm 69:1-3 and Psalm 130:1 expresses that he feels like he is drowning, sinking down into deep mud or quicksand.
Psalms 69:1-3
1 Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me.
3 I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Psalms 130:1
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; (Psalms 130:1)
These images the psalmist uses to describe his condition show that he feels he is in a no-way-out situation. He has no way of out of his suffering expect God intervenes on his behalf.
Notice how he responds to how he feels about God’s apparent absence in the following verses:
Psalms 10:12
12 Arise, O Lord! O God, lift up Your hand! Do not forget the humble. (Psalms 10:12)
Psalms 22:1
1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? (Psalms 22:1)
Psalms 27:9
9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. (Psalms 27:9)
Psalms 39:12
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, And give ear to my cry; Do not be silent at my tears; For I am a stranger with You, A sojourner, as all my fathers were. (Psalms 39:12)
What does he resolve?
We see in these verses that the psalmist refuses to remain silent even though it may appear that God is not answering his prayers. He keeps praying!
His belief in the value of prayer and his past experiences with God keeps him directing his concerns to God.
In faith, he believes God is the true and living God. He does not give up on believing that God is loving and merciful, and though he feels like God is not there, he does not rely on his feelings and emotions.
Instead, He stands firm in his faith. He believes that God is there; even when God says nothing and appears not to be there, the psalmist keeps praying. Why? Because though God may seem to be silent, he knows God answers prayers.
The God of the psalmist is the same God of today. He answered the prayers of the psalmist in the past, and he believes God will answer his prayers in the present.
Therefore, in those times when it seemed as if God was silent, the psalmists used the time to reflect.
They humbly examined themselves and looked at their hearts and lives. They confessed their sins. So, this psalmist continued to pray and tell God his needs, for he knew that God would not stay silent forever.
What can we learn from the psalmist’s response to God’s apparent silence? Does God keep silent forever?
Pause and Read Psalm 77, Then View the next segment of this video: Day 5: Has His Promise Failed Forever?
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 5: Has His Promise Failed Forevermore?
In Psalm 77, the psalmist begins with an intense cry for help. It is filled with lament and painful memories of the past.
Psalms 77:1-6
1 I cried out to God with my voice— To God with my voice; And He gave ear to me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, And my spirit makes diligent search. (Psalms 77:1-6)
Knowing that his hope is in God, the psalmist refuses to be comforted by any help except that which comes from God.
But as he reflects on his memories of God, he begins to feel very sad. His mental anguish intensifies. He feels worse and worse the more he remembers the past. He says in Psalms 77:3 When I remember God, I moan” (Psalm 77:3 ESV).
The Hebrew word for “moan” typically describes the roar of raging water. It portrays the rough and dark seas in the time of a storm, as in Psalm 46:3.
Psalms 46:3
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah (Psalms 46:3)
So, the psalmist in Psalm 77 is in distress. His soul is in a state of severe unrest. He feels no peace.
But how can memories of God cause a person to become so distressed?
The questions the psalmist asks, in Psalm 77:7-9 help us to understand the reason why he feels so bad. He wonders if God has changed. Will He keep His promise? He asks:
7 Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more?
8 Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah (Psalms 77:7-9)
We see here that in the past, God has saved him. But now, it seems to him as if God isn’t answering his prayers. So, he feels all alone. He feels abandoned. The problem is if God has changed, then there is no hope for him. So, the psalmist rejects this false idea.
In the meantime, however, the psalmist can’t sleep. He claims in Psalm 77:4 that the Lord keeps him awake.
4 You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. (Psalms 77:4)
But being awake in times of trouble is not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, God uses our insomnia to advance his purpose. This we see in the lives of others in the Bible, as in Genesis 41:1-8 when Pharoah had a dream that kept him awake. His sleeping problem prepared him for a famine.
In Esther 6:1, the king’s sleeping problem was instrumental in saving the Jews from a terrible massacre in Persia.
And there was King Nebuchadnezzar, who, because of his sleep problem, eventually acknowledged the true and living God.
So sometimes, when we can’t sleep at night, it’s because God is trying to tell us something.
So in those long sleepless nights when the psalmist was lying awake, he remembers how the Lord saved His people in the past.
When he remembers, we see in Psalm 77:5, 10 that he determines in his heart to serve God even more.
He says in Psalm 77:5
5 I have considered the days of old, The years of ancient times. (Psalms 77:5)
And in Psalms 77:10,
10 And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” (Psalms 77:10)
Finally, God answers the psalmist. But God’s answer does not consist of extensive explanations of why the Psalmist is suffering. As a matter of fact, God does not address his personal situation at all. Instead, God gives him a confirmation of his faithfulness and trustworthiness. He reassures the psalmist that He can be trusted.
This confirmation gave the psalmist just what he needed. Read Psalm 77:11-18.
Now, the Psalmist is encouraged to wait on the Lord in faith, knowing that God has not changed. He is the same God who performed miracles on Israel’s behalf in the past (Psalm 77:11-18).
Also, although we may not always be able to see God working on our behalf, as the psalmist says in Psalms. 77:19 “Your footsteps were not known” (Psalms 77:19, NKJV), yet God is there.
In other words, the psalmist helps us to see that God can be revealed and hidden at the same time. God is God. He is the Almighty God, He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth. (Split)
Therefore, acknowledging who God is, he offers praise for the Lord’s mysterious and sovereign ways.
Another struggle the psalmists had is one that many of us have today. What is that?
Pause and read the following: Psalm 37:1, 8; Psalm 49:5-7; Psalm 94:3-7; and Psalm 125:3. Then continue to the next segment of this video; Day 6: Help from the Sanctuary
Psalms
(Lesson 5)
Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land
Day 6: Help from the Sanctuary
In Psalm 37, Psalm 49, Psalm 94, and Psalm 125, the psalmists are lamenting, crying about the seemly prosperity of the wicked as opposed to the apparent struggles of the righteous. In fact, not only do the wicked seem to prosper, but they, at times, despise God and openly oppress the righteous.
The psalmists lament over the “the scepter of wickedness” (Psalms 125:3, NKJV) who seem to dominate the world while the power of the righteous seems to be failing. (Split)
Under these circumstances, some may conclude that those who do evil are the winners. So, it may be easy to want to give up their faith and join those who are wicked, which goes with the old saying if you can’t beat them, join them. But should we?
How does the psalmist get through this crisis?
What helps the poet during a hard time? Read Psalm 73:1-20 and 27. We find in Psalms 73:27 Their prosperity is only for a season,
27 For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. (Psalms 73:27)
This is why Peter in 1 Peter 1:17 advises:
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (I Peter 1:17)
When the psalmist looked around at the prosperity of the wicked, he started to doubt God. He observed that Wicket seemed to enjoy much success. Their apparent success caused the psalmist to wonder about God’s power. He was unable to see the big picture. He began to wonder about the value of his faith.
But the good news is his thoughts do not stop there. His thinking leads him to the sanctuary, the place where the sovereign God will righteously judge all people.
This helps the psalmist understand that God is in control. Right now, we only see a small segment of the big picture. But when we look into the sanctuary, God dwelling place, we see the bigger picture. The time will come when the wicked must face God’s judgment.
We may think the wicked can do whatever they want in this life with no consequence. But the day of judgement is coming.
From this perspective, the psalmist concludes that his thinking is flawed. He recognizes that he was wrong to doubt God. Therefore, he confesses his sin. He understands that God will judge everyone who has ever lived, both the righteous and the wicked. Knowing that the day will come when God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, tell me in the chat box how comforting you feel now about being in a world with so much evil that seems to go unpunished.
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