Scripture Reading: Psalm 44
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what work you did in their days, in the old times.
2 How did You drive out the heathen with Your hand and plant them; how did You afflict the people and cast them out?
3 For they got the land in possession by their sword, neither did their arm save them: but your right hand, arm, and the light of your countenance, because though it had a favor to them.
4 You are my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
5 Through Your will, we push down our enemies: through Your name, we will tread them under that rise against us.
6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
7 But You have saved us from our enemies and have put them to shame that hated us.
8 In God, we boast all day long and praise your name forever. Selah.
9 But You have cast off and put us to shame; and goes not forth with our armies.
10 You make us turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
11 You have given us like sheep appointed for meat and have scattered us among the heathen.
12 You sell thy people for naught, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.
13 Thou make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
14 Thou make us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
15 My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16 For his voice that reproach and blaspheme; because of the enemy and avenger.
17 All this comes upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee nor dealt falsely in thy covenant.
18 Our heart is not turned back, nor have our steps declined from thy way.
19 Though you have sore broken us in the place of dragons and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we have forgotten the name of our God or stretched out our hands to a strange god.
21 Shall not God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Awake, why sleep thou, O Lord? Arise, cast us not off forever.
24 Wherefore hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression?
25 For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleave unto the earth.
26 Arise for our help and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.
Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense
"For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. But You have saved us from our enemies and have put them to shame that hated us." — Psalm 44:6-7 (KJV)
There comes a point in every believer's journey when faith is tested—not just in the small daily struggles but in the moments that shake your foundation. You grew up hearing how God provided, healed, and rescued His people. But what happens when life doesn't reflect those same victories? What happens when you pray, and the answer is silence?
Psalm 44 captures this tension. The writer reflects on God's past faithfulness, acknowledging the miraculous ways He helped their ancestors (Psalm 44:1-3). But then, the tone shifts. Despite their faith, they now feel abandoned (Psalm 44:9-26). This psalm is a raw cry of confusion and longing, mirroring many of us today's struggles.
Psalm 44 Connects to Psalm 43
If we step back, we see a natural progression from Psalm 43 to Psalm 44. Psalm 43 ends with a powerful declaration:
"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? … Hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalm 43:5)
Psalm 44 is a psalm of personal struggle and hope, an individual seeking God's light in the darkness. However, it moves beyond personal hardship to communal suffering. The psalmist acknowledges past victories but wrestles with a present reality that doesn't align with those experiences.
This mirrors our faith journey. We begin by seeking personal reassurance in trials (Psalm 43), but as we mature, we grapple with bigger questions: Why does suffering exist? Why does God seem distant? Why do the faithful still face hardship?
Faith Beyond the Past
Psalm 44 teaches us that faith cannot rely solely on past testimonies. While the stories of how God delivered others are powerful, faith must eventually become personal.
"I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me." (Psalm 44:6)
The psalmist understands that victory does not come from human strength. But what happens when God, who once fought for them, now seems absent? This is a hard reality to face, but it's essential. Faith is easy when prayers are answered quickly, but true faith is built in silence, waiting, and struggle.
The Apostle Paul echoes this idea in the New Testament:
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7)
God's presence is not measured by how easy life is. Even when He seems distant, He is still working.
Psalm 44 ends with a desperate plea:
"Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake." (Psalm 44:26)
It's a cry for God to act—not because of their worthiness but because of His mercy. When facing confusion, we must trust not in what we see but in who God is.
Jesus Himself experienced this deep sorrow. On the cross, He cried out,
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
Even the Son of God felt the weight of silence. Yet, His story didn't end in the grave—redemption came. The same is true for us.
Reflection & Challenge
Are you in a season where God feels distant? Have you been holding onto past testimonies but struggling to see His hand in your present? The challenge today is to trust, even in silence. Choose to believe that God's faithfulness isn't just a story of the past—it's a reality for today.
"God's silence is not His absence. His delays are not His denials. Trust Him beyond what you see." — Sherrie T.
Hold on. Keep trusting. Redemption is coming.