Psalm 44:23-26 The Providence of God is our Prayer

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). If God says He will do something, then He can be absolutely trusted to do it. God never lies (Titus 1:2). Indeed, it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). Even if we are faithless to keep our part of the covenant, God will remain faithful in keeping His part of the covenant, “for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). It is this part of God’s character that was a source of major strength for Israel.

Many of the “gods” of the other nations were fickle, and couldn’t be counted on. Humans had to make sacrifices to appease the wrath of the “gods,” who could be quite temperamental. At other times, the “gods” were thought to be distracted by other affairs. Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal, saying of their "god": “either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened” (1 Kings 18:27).

Sometimes, the “gods” were simply limited in power and unable to answer the prayers of their supplicants. But, not Israel’s God! The Lord of Lords and King of Kings is the All-powerful Sovereign Ruler of the Universe! He can do all things! What’s more, He is faithful to His people, and will do all things which He has promised to do.

This faithfulness of God is described in Hebrew as Hesed. It is often translated as “steadfast love.” Whenever you see that phrase “steadfast love” in your Bible, you should instantly think of God’s covenant faithfulness to His chosen people. Unlike the other “gods,” Yahweh is “the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Both Nehemiah and Daniel prayed to the Lord, “the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4; cf. Nehemiah 9:32). The sons of Korah ulitmately do the same as they conclude their psalm, though first they vent false accusations against the Lord.

Please read Psalm 44:23-26.

Was God actually sleeping? No, “He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4). Did God actually hide His face from His people? No. As we talked about last week, God was actively working in the defeat of His chosen people on the battlefield, so that they would turn back to Him. Did God actually forget the affliction of His people? No, He says through His prophet, “can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).

When Israel reached their lowest point, it may have felt like God was asleep, or hiding, or had forgotten about them, but God will never forget His covenant faithfulness.

We may feel lost, we may feel abandoned, or we may even feel like God is punishing us, but we must remember that He has not abandoned us. He promised to be with us forever, and He cannot lie. He promised that we will spend eternity with Him, and He cannot lie. He promised that He will work all things out for our good, and God cannot lie.

Let us remember God’s providence. Let us pray for God’s providence. Let us rejoice that He is sovereign, and that He loves us. “The Lord will not forsake His people; He will not abandon His heritage” (Psalm 94:14).