Psalm 79

What can we say to the Lord when the worst has actually happened? How do we cry out to Him in faith and truth? The Lord hears the desperate prayers of those who call upon His Name with sincere hearts.

In the days when He sent the Babylonians into Jerusalem and so many of His people went into exile in a foreign land, it appeared that all was lost. Invading armies had defiled the temple building. So many young people had been killed. Jerusalem was the ridicule of surrounding nations.

God was disciplining His people for a time. It was right for them to call out to Him with cries and tears. Our Savior did that, and He was heard.

In the depths of despair it may seem that the Lord will never have mercy again. We can even sing about that sentiment to Him, and He will hear us. “How long, O Lord?” You can sing that. Just do not stop coming to God in song and prayer, and do not pretend that there is no problem. Keep worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

The Lord will not be angry at His children forever. But the way of those who do not know Him and who do not obey the gospel is a very dangerous path that leads to eternal destruction. See 2 Thessalonians 1.

At just the right time the Lord will come and rescue His people from their tormenters who imagine that it is safe to abuse and persecute the Lord's children. The people of faith and love will be vindicated in the righteousness that comes from their Savior on high. He will openly claim us as His own on that great day.

We remember our own sins when the worst happens to us. We accuse ourselves, and forget that the Lord who disciplines His children, loves us. But now we humbly ask the Lord that He would not remember our transgressions. We have a very strong reason for this good request. Christ died for our sins.

Because of Jesus, our plea to God in the year of our despair has a firm and just foundation. The sinless Man died for sinners who would call upon His Name. The best thing we can do when it seems that all is lost is to call out to Him again. Find strength from above, and remember the Rock, which is Christ.

When we ask for the Lord's compassion for us, we can make our plea not only based on His great mercy, but also on the glory of His Name. We are known as His children. Why should our persecutors claim that our God is not powerful or loving enough to save us? Why should they imagine that God is justly allowing us to suffer because even He is against us forever.

No, in Christ we are more than conquerors. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. God will vindicate the glory of His Name, and the gates of hell will not prevail against His church.

May our groans come before Him, even when we sing that all is lost. But all is not lost. The Lord raises the dead. The Day of the Lord is near. The Lord will save us forever. We are His sheep. We give Him thanks from generation to generation. But what will the wolves do when the great Shepherd of the sheep returns?