We Have Heard

“We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.” Psalm 44:1-3

The psalmist is crying out to God for help. In verses 23-26, as he closes his prayer, he says, “Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies’ sake.” As the psalmist begins this prayer, he reminds God of the great works that He did for His people in years gone by. He mentions how God delivered them in battle, how He drove the heathen out of the Promised Land before them, and how He planted them firmly in the land that He gave them. We could summarize his prayer by saying, “Dear God, we have heard how you did great things in the past. Could you please do the same kind of great works for us now?” Have you ever come to the place where you feel like all of the great things that have happened are in the past and are not available to you? God doesn’t play favorites. He still wants to do great things for us, but He wants us to be willing to trust Him.