October 24
________________________________________BRINGING TO GOD ALL AFFLICTIONS
But You have saved us from our adversaries,
And You have put to shame those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted all day long,
And we will give thanks to Your name forever.
9 Yet You have rejected us and brought us to dishonor,
And do not go out with our armies.
10 You cause us to turn back from the adversary;
And those who hate us have taken spoil for themselves.
11 You give us as sheep to be eaten
And have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sell Your people cheaply,
And have not profited by their sale.
You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
A scoffing and a derision to those around us.
14 You make us a byword among the nations,
A laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my dishonor is before me
And my humiliation has overwhelmed me,
16 Because of the voice of him who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the presence of the enemy and the avenger.- Psalm 44:7-16
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This psalm is about Israel’s complain to God. In verses 7-9, the writer declares how God has rescued and deliver his people. They were given victory over their enemies but in verse 9, he also says how God has brought them dishonor and have left them. In verse 10, the writer is aware that it was God who was punishing them because they have been oppressed by their enemies. In verse 11, he further gives us a clear picture how they are likened to sheep, to be eaten and have been dispersed in many different places. Verses 12-14 are more grumbles about the mocking by the enemy and how they were criticized and belittled and laughed at. In verse 15, we hear the humiliation that the Israelites suffered from their enemies. Clearly, the psalmist runs to God for comfort and deliverance. Despite their turmoil, they still find time to go to God. Do we still do this?
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REFLECTION
• How often do you run to God when you are undergoing much suffering?