“O God, why have you rejected us forever?” (Ps. 74:1) We can notice right away at the beginning of this psalm that some things said here are contradicted within this psalm and other ones. And the author (assumedly Asaph here) knows that! This is not a theological manifesto; it’s an expression. An expression of frustration, a sense of abandonment, and a wondering how much longer it’s going to be until anything gets better or at least we get a sign of hope that things might get better. What does the psalmist know in saying all of this? History is known, and understanding that God is the deliverer is known: that God is our all-powerful King and Creator and Savior are all expressed in verses 12-17. Yet in the moment of desperation and despair, we find the psalmist making an accusation that God is sitting around with his hands in his pockets! (vs. 11) Yikes, what an insulting accusation! This isn’t a polite chat about God–this is getting into it with God! Verse 9 is the energy behind what’s in the rest of the Psalm. When we don’t know how long it (whatever it may be) will last, when we don’t have any signs or reasonable hope or credible voices of reassurance. What is harder than waiting? That’s a low spot to be in for a person or a nation. So whether it be a psalm for all of Israel, a plea for your nation, a dinnertime family prayer, or your own gritted-teeth mutterings, even a begrudged prayer… Psalm 74 is here to shape the expression of our prayers from someone who has been there, in that low place. Isn’t this dangerous territory, to level accusations against or express anger at God? Yep! (Just ask Job!) When we tell someone how we really feel, it might go beyond what we know to be true. It’s up to the bigger person to know when that is the case. When you tell Jesus how you really feel, rest assured that he will always be the bigger person. Psalms is the prayer book of the Bible. If we really want to learn how to pray, if we want to learn from the best of the best in these 150 chapters, then we need to learn to tell God how we really feel. Don’t dance around it, don’t dress it up, don’t look for just the right fancy words. Just be direct with God, get real, get honest. Give your heart to God by getting to the heart of the matter. And trust, that when you do step out of line, which you will in your honesty, God will correct you, just like he corrected Job. But there’s not much correcting that we open ourselves up to if we’re never honest in the first place. God will be the bigger person. The Lord your Creator and Savior will hear you out. You can make your problems God’s problems in prayer. And if it feels like God is putting you on hold, stay on the line. Keep asking and keep being honest. - Pastor Steven