Tuesday Reflection, September 21, 2021

Psalm 44 is a song of contemplation. It is the cry for rescue of the nation of Israel at a time when they had suffered great defeat. Some think this may have been during the period of exile while others think it was during the reign of Israel’s kings. The Psalm begins with a recognition of God’s great deeds to Israel in times of old. God placed Israel in the Promised Land while removing the other nations that were there. They recognized that they were able to possess the land not by their own strength, skills or might, but by God’s action on their behalf. This was a memory that had been passed down from generation to generation and it triggered the confidence relayed through our watchword for today. In God we boast all day long, and praise your name forever. Psalm 44: 8.

As Israel faced the struggles of the present, they had confidence in God because of the record of their past. There expressed confidence in their prayers for God to give them victory over their enemies in the here and now, as God had done in the past. They would do their part, but their confidence did not lie in what they could do, their confidence was in what they knew God could, and expected God to do. When we know the power of our God over the situations we face, it gives us confidence in our approach to God and assurance in our praying. The boasting and praising of the people was based on the faithfulness of God and their confidence in God’s ability.

Friends, when we know the power of God to impact our everyday situations no matter how great or small, we will have that same confidence. In the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of natural disasters, in the midst of personal loss, in the midst of the worst news, we can boast in the power, ability and authority of God. Regardless of our personal situations, regardless of the general situations we find ourselves in, God is able to guide us through and save us. Indeed, we hear the question of the angels to Abraham and then to Mary, ‘is anything too hard for God?’ We remember in these times that man’s impossibility is God’s possibility. We can and we should boast in God all day every day for we know what God did and we are confident that He will do it again. Do not lose hope friends, rather trust in God. Amen.