Prayer and Redemption

By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Psalm 43-44

 

Psalm 43:5

Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[b]help of my countenance and my God.

(NKJV)

 

Charles Spurgeon was once asked which was the most important thing in a Christian’s life, the study of the Bible or prayer. He answered the question with another question, which is more important, inhaling or exhaling? Study of the Bible is God speaking with us inhaling what he says. Prayer is us speaking to God or exhaling, but it can seem that God does not hear our prayers.

 

Psalm 43 begins with the psalmist asking for vindication from God from an ungodly nation that is deceitful and unjust (Psalm 43:1). He makes his plea to God who is the source of his strength asking the Lord why he is cast off and continues to mourn because of the oppression of the enemy (Psalm 43:2). He asks God to send out his light and truth for he wants the light of God’s truth to lead him and bring him to God’s tabernacle (Psalm 43:3). The psalmist vows to go to the altar of God with exceeding joy and to praise Him (Psalm 43:4). The psalmist concludes by asking again why he is cast down and disquieted with the reminder to place his hope in God (Psalm 43:5).

 

Psalm 44 is also a prayer, but it is a heartfelt prayer of pleading to God, remembering how God has delivered Israel in the past (Psalm 44:1-3). He then affirms his belief in God as king, the one who pushes down their enemies and not the power of his bow or sword (Psalm 44:4-8). However, the psalmist has doubts God hears his pleas, with it seeming the Lord has cast Israel off and puts them to shame (Psalm 44:9-12). Israel is no longer feared by their enemies and instead has become a reproach to their neighbors (Psalm 44:13-16). However, they have not forgotten the name of their God nor dealt falsely with His covenant (Psalm 44:17). Israel’s heart has not turned back from the Lord, yet they are severely broken and in the shadow of death (Psalm 44:18-19). The psalmist confesses to understanding their circumstances if they had forgotten the name of their God and worshipped foreign gods, for God would know this (Psalm 44:20-21). Israel has not done this, and yet they are killed and accounted as sheep for the slaughter (Psalm 44:22). The psalm concludes with a fervent plea for the Lord to awake and come to Israel’s help for His mercies’ sake (Psalm 44:23-26).

 

Psalm 43 is a brief prayer to God in a time of trouble and serves to remind us to pray when trouble comes. The author of this psalm is unknown but written by someone who is under oppression from an enemy. This oppression is troublesome to him, but despite the trouble, he vows to go to the altar with joy, despite feeling cast down. This psalmist knew about casting his cares on the Lord and trusting him for the answer (1 Peter 5:7).

 

Psalm 44 is a heartfelt plea with God, recalling past redemption with the Lord and pleading for His deliverance during Israel’s current time of trouble. It is a contemplation of the sons of Korah and begins with his reflecting on how the Lord has delivered in the past and affirming his faith in God as his king and deliverer. However, in his present anguish, he wonders why he is cast down and put to shame (Psalm 44:9). The psalmist is a man of faith reaching out to God, but God seems absent. He knows God is his redeemer and deliverer, with his prayer a pleading for the Lord to awaken to his help for his mercy’s sake. While the timeframe of the writing of this Psalm is uncertain, and the psalmist may not have been able to refer to the words of Isaiah (Isaiah 59:19), the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard against the enemy. Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected from the dead to save all who call upon Him (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10).

 

In a fallen world, we will experience trouble with Jesus Christ Himself not exempt from trouble but overcame it through his resurrection from the dead (John 16:33). Our first reaction when trouble comes should be to pray and make our pleas known to God. In each of these psalms, the author is experiencing trouble in his life, wondering if God hears him. We all experience times in our lives when it seems God does not hear us, but we have the promise that God hears every prayer and that our prayers are effective (James 5:16). Like Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:1-19, our prayers are heard but the answer is hampered in reaching us because of the enemy (Daniel 10:12-13). Harboring unconfessed sin in one’s heart can also cause God not to hear our prayer (Psalm 66:18). God may also have us wait for the answer to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31), but we must continue praying.

 

However, there is one prayer God will answer immediately, and that is the prayer of someone confessing their belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for their salvation (Romans 10:9-10). If you have never prayed to make this confession of faith, I invite you to pray with me now.

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

If you just prayed, rest assured that God has totally forgiven you and that you are a child of God (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:12). Find a Church teaching the truth of the Bible so you can learn more about the Lord. May God convict, challenge, and bless everyone reading this post.