“All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten Thee, neither have we dealt falsely in Thy covenant.” Psalm 44:17

“Lord, as long as things go pretty comfortably for me, I will happily serve you. As long as you make my life go more or less according to how I want it to go, I will be faithful to you.” Obviously, this kind of prayer wouldn’t be acceptable in godly circles. But, the sentiment behind it sometimes presents itself in our hearts. The psalmist, in his prayer, gives us an example worthy to be followed.

The context shows that the circumstances that prompted the prayer of this psalm were not pleasant at all. There were a lot of negatives. But, the spirit here is not one of a man ready to turn his back on God because of these troubles. Even though it seemed God had forgotten Israel (though He hadn’t, of course), the psalmist says, “We have not forgotten You.” Some of the most powerful examples of Christian faithfulness have been lived out by people who have suffered much, but have endured in love and faith towards God.

The heart behind all of this is a faithful Savior. When God poured His wrath upon Jesus on the Cross, Jesus was still faithful. He endured the pain and suffering, because He saw the end goal: God’s glory in the salvation of sinners. In our difficult and disappointing circumstances, may we know that God also has a purpose in these. May our love for our Savior motivate us to endure through hard seasons. May our heart cry out with the psalmist, “Lord, we won’t forget you.”