Today’s passage: Psalm 74
Helpful thoughts:
- This lament follows the destruction of the Temple by Babylon.
- As opposed to complaining about God to others, this Psalmist goes directly to God for answers and help. This is lament.
- Israel’s enemies had destroyed buildings, stolen treasures, and replaced the contents of the Temple with their own religious “signs”. However, God had created and sustains the universe. The psalmist appeals to God’s superior power through these verses.
- The final basis for the psalmists request is God’s own word, His covenant (Verse 20).
Questions to consider:
- What is the difference between grumbling and lament? Why is lamenting a right response to our suffering? How does it work towards resolution and comfort as opposed to grumbling and complaining?
- Why is the psalmist right to appeal to God’s covenant? What was promised to God’s people in Genesis 17:1-8? What might the psalmist have been thinking about this covenant promise in that moment in history?
- We have a different perspective than the writer of this psalm for a number of reasons. How can this approach to lament and prayer help you with something you might be struggling with right now? What promises has God made that you could appeal to? Where do our trials fit into the grand narrative of Scripture?