1 O God, we have
heard it with our own ears - our ancestors have told us of all you did in other
days, in days long ago:
2 You drove out the
pagan nations and gave all the land to our ancestors; you crushed their
enemies, setting our ancestors free.
3 They did not
conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave
them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded; it was because
you favored them and smiled on them.
4 You are my King
and my God. You command victories for your people.
5 Only by your power
can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes.
6 I do not trust my
bow; I do not count on my sword to save me.
7 It is you who
gives us victory over our enemies; it is you who humbles those who hate
us.
8 O God, we give
glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.
Interlude
9 But now you have
tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle.
10 You make us
retreat from our enemies and allow them to plunder our land.
11 You have treated
us like sheep waiting to be slaughtered; you have scattered us among the
nations.
12 You sold us – your
precious people- for a pittance. You valued us at nothing at all.
13 You have caused
all our neighbors to mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to the
nations around us.
14 You have made us
the butt of their jokes; we are scorned by the whole world.
15 We can’t escape
the the constant humiliation; shame is written across our faces.
16 All we hear are
the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies.
17 All this has
happened despite our loyalty to you. We have not violated your covenant.
18 Our hearts have
not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path.
19 Yet you have
crushed us in the desert, You have covered us with darkness and death.
20 If we had turned
away from worshipping our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign
gods,
21 God would surely
have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.
22 For your sake we
are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.
23 Wake up, O Lord!
Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you look
the other way? Why do ignore our suffering and oppression?
25 We
collapse in the dust lying face down in the dirt.
26 Rise
up! Come and help us! Save us because of your unfailing love.
Psalm 44 (NLT)
As I read this, I can’t help but see how perfectly
this fits America. Like the Psalmist, we should likewise cry out to God before
it’s too late. We are watching our nation crumble before us and many of us live
in constant fear, but how many are truly crying out to God?
My prayer is that God would use these current events to lead many to Himself. Do I wish to see America healed, yes! But what is of most value? What is temporal and what is eternal?
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