Announcement: After 3 years of publishing Bible studies almost every week, I’ve decided to take off the month of July. I plan spend that time working to finish the rest of the course that was released last weekend. I will still send out Witness Wednesday posts and one or two paid posts, but I will not be sending out the weekly Sunday Bible study post in July. I’ll be back in August with a new study that I’m super excited about!
Now, back to your regularly scheduled program…
When we face trials and suffering, we often don’t see the big picture. We often don’t understand why God would make us go through that situation. But Psalm 44 shows us a pattern that we can follow when we face hard times. Let’s get to the Application part of our study.
Psalm 44
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
1 We have heard it with our ears, O God;
our ancestors have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.
2 With your hand you drove out the nations
and planted our ancestors;
you crushed the peoples
and made our ancestors flourish.
3 It was not by their sword that they won the land,
nor did their arm bring them victory;
it was your right hand, your arm,
and the light of your face, for you loved them.4 You are my King and my God,
who decrees victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push back our enemies;
through your name we trample our foes.
6 I put no trust in my bow,
my sword does not bring me victory;
7 but you give us victory over our enemies,
you put our adversaries to shame.
8 In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever.9 But now you have rejected and humbled us;
you no longer go out with our armies.
10 You made us retreat before the enemy,
and our adversaries have plundered us.
11 You gave us up to be devoured like sheep
and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You sold your people for a pittance,
gaining nothing from their sale.13 You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations;
the peoples shake their heads at us.
15 I live in disgrace all day long,
and my face is covered with shame
16 at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.17 All this came upon us,
though we had not forgotten you;
we had not been false to your covenant.
18 Our hearts had not turned back;
our feet had not strayed from your path.
19 But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
you covered us over with deep darkness.20 If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
21 would not God have discovered it,
since he knows the secrets of the heart?
22 Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?25 We are brought down to the dust;
our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up and help us;
rescue us because of your unfailing love.
Application
Process for Trials and Suffering
Let’s look at the pattern that Psalm 44 gives us for when we are going through trials and suffering.
First, we should remember the good that God has done in the past. Psalm 44:1-8 recounts all those times when God did bring them victory, when God did show his care for them. This provides evidence of who God is. When you are going through a hard time, remember back to the times when you could see God working in your life. This is one of the reasons that Witness Wednesday is so important—it helps us see what God is doing in our lives.
Second, remember that it’s OK to cry out to God. It’s OK to let him know that you are hurting. That’s what the Sons of Korah did in Psalm 44:9-19. They made a list of all the ways that they were hurting. God’s shoulders are big enough to carry the weight of your pain. He knows your deepest thoughts and emotions anyway, so you might as well talk to him about it.
Third, remember that you have someone you can go to who knows what it’s like to feel forsaken—Jesus. Hebrews 4:14-16 says:
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Just like in Psalm 44, Jesus was led like a sheep to the slaughter. He felt forsaken on the cross. He knows your pain and can empathize with you.
Finally, don’t stay trapped in the pain. Call out to God for him to rescue you. Humble yourself before God and put your hope in his unfailing love. It’s OK to feel abandoned or hurt or disappointed or angry or whatever you feel. But don’t let that overtake you. Always come back to the place where you rest in God’s unfailing love. Remember that he has a purpose and a plan, as he says in Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When you are going through trials and suffering, keep depending on God to work everything out according to his perfect plan.
Biblical Attitude Toward Trials
Psalm 44:22 is repeated in Romans 8:36. This passage gives us additional context for the hope that we have when we face trials. Let’s look at Romans 8:35-39 (for even greater context, read Romans 8:18-39):
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This passage echoes what we see in Psalm 44: No matter what trials we go through, God’s love is the only thing we can count on. It will always be there for those who follow him. Because of the assurance we can have due to God’s unfailing love, we can be ready to face any trial, no matter how hard.
The Bible also gives us a new perspective on trials. God can use trials to mature us in our faith.
James 1:2-4: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Instead of being angry at God or feeling hurt or frustrated or rejected, we should instead view the trials through a lens of thankfulness. God can use any trial, no matter how big or how small, no matter how long or how short, to mature our faith. These trials are what remind us that we are humans who still need God. If we never had any troubles, eventually we would start to lose sight of why we need God. But when we face trials, it keeps us coming back to God and growing in our dependance on him. This helps us become mature and complete in our faith. This should be the goal of every Christian.
And for those days when it all just seems like too much, and we have trouble keeping that positive attitude, the Bible gives us strategies for that too.
Matthew 11:28-30: 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
1 Peter 5:6-7: 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
When we feel like the struggle is too much, when we feel like we can’t keep going anymore, God tells us that we can take our sorrows and burdens to him, and he will give us rest. This might not come in immediate physical rest or emotional rest, but it will provide spiritual rest. And that spiritual rest can flow over into the rest of your life.
Conclusion
Psalm 44 gives us a great overview of how to face trials in life. Remember what God has done for you in the past. Give your emotions and struggles to him, because he is strong enough to handle your deepest, darkest emotions. Take on the courage needed to face any struggle for him, even if that leads to persecution or death. Remember that Jesus faced torment and death for you, so he can empathize with everything you are facing. That means we can take our struggles to him, and he will help us through them. And in the end, hold unswervingly to God’s unfailing love. No matter what trials or struggles we face, God’s love will never let us down.
That was a very good study. I want to read it again and get some of those verses in mind when I need to encourage a friend and for my own times of trouble.