Psalm 89

Have you ever been disappointed?  Worse yet, have you ever been disappointed by God?  Quite frankly, I was a bit disappointed by the second half of Psalm 89 because I did not expect it.  Then again, it seems as though Ethan (the author) didn’t expect David’s family to be overrun and disgraced by his own family.  That’s what motivated this psalm.

Until verse 38, we read a beautiful synopsis of God’s goodness to Israel through King David to Israel.  Ethan does well to share his heart with the Lord.  “God, you have done and said and promised all this, so why is the opposite happening?”  That’s a very good question that I think all of us ask at some time in our lives.  We don’t fully understand God or how He works or what He is doing.  Sometimes, that can seem like a cop-out or a justification for what we perceive as injustice on the part of our Creator.  Regardless of how we feel about current circumstances, verse 52 will always be true: blessed be the Lord forever.

How do we trust God’s goodness amidst adversity?  How can we believe in a loving God when we are surrounded by evil and death?  The scriptures are a good place to start.  Even though Sarah was barren, Israel was enslaved, David’s son rose up against him, Jesus died on the cross, Paul was shipwrecked, and John was exiled, God still had and has the last word!  Our current circumstances aren’t the end of the story, just a part of it.  Can you see the potential for God to be glorified despite your current circumstance?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *