We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Psalm 79
Plea for Mercy for Jerusalem
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the air for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.
5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations
that do not know you
and on the kingdoms
that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors;
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins,
for your name’s sake.
Devotional Thought:
The expressions of grief, loss, and pleas for help in this psalm presumably originated in the trauma of Babylon’s overthrow of Israel, destruction of the Temple, and imposed exile on the nation. That community’s lament later became a template for other generations who would experience grief and loss, and who would cry out, “How long, O Lord?”
This psalm does not, however, focus on human grief and loss alone. The psalmist acknowledges the devastation that has occurred in God’s realm, to “your inheritance,” “your holy temple,” “your servant,” and “your faithful.” Similarly, the psalmist cries out for salvation and deliverance in order that God’s greatness and splendour might be made visible.
When violence and injustice are evident in our world, our similar expressions of loss and lament acknowledge the “not-yet Kingdom” that God already perceives. In so doing, we align ourselves, our evaluations, and our prayers with the heart of God.
Prayer:
God, We pray that you would break our hearts with the things that break your heart. We long for your healing and restoration in our lives, our community, and our world. May your Kingdom come!
Linda M. Stargel
Academic Dean
Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Biblical Language