I will sing of the LORD’S great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. Psalm 89:1 (Psalm 44, 74, 79, 80, 85, 89)
There are ten Psalms written during the exile. These hymns focus on feelings of abandonment, separation, fear and frustration with the perceived absence and silence of God. God’s covenant nation has moved from earth’s greatest wealth and power to abject poverty, slavery and displacement. They became arrogant, thinking they were untouchable no matter their carelessness in worship to The One True God, but when the Temple, the symbol of God’s presence among them, came tumbling down at the hands of pagan Babylonians, these people realized their hope had always been solely in the LORD. Now, they might be lost forever, except….. His prophets preached of return and restoration.
These prayers of lament become verses of reflection and confession. All minds turn to who God is and what He did. Will He do these things again? Spiritual loneliness and separation from others, who had once worshiped The Almighty God, brought a longing to return to the God they once fully relied on and who proved again and again that He was loving and faithful. Harsh realization led to sincere confession, both nationally and individually, and finally, a single minded determination to trust God alone settled once again, in the heart of God’s people.
When those in exile realized they were alone, separated from God, they looked to His character and remembered His many cries to rule their hearts and provide all they needed. In these memories they found optimism and promise that what He said through His prophets would come true. So, they ran to the center of the universe, God’s relationship with man, and they remained for as long as it took……And it was worth the wait.
Love,
Gretchen