Read Psalm 74:1-11
It must have been difficult for the Jewish people to watch the Babylonians destroy their city and temple. No wonder Asaph wrote, "O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?" (v. 1). Keep in mind that this happened because the people had sinned. They had their great city. They had their beautiful temple. The problem was they trusted the city and the temple, but they did not obey the Lord. In their sin, they had defiled the temple. Jeremiah said they had turned it into a den of thieves (Jer. 7:11). God would not permit this, so He allowed the Babylonians to destroy the city and the temple. Psalm 74 reveals the heartbreak of Asaph.
Even today the Enemy is destroying God's work. "They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees" (v. 5). What can God's people do? Notice what Asaph said about God's people. We are the sheep of His pasture (v. 1). He's the Good Shepherd, and He has given His life for the sheep. What defense do sheep have against a Babylonian army? Jesus, the Shepherd.
We are also God's congregation. "Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, the tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed" (v. 2). We are a purchased and redeemed people. "Remember . . . this Mount Zion where You have dwelt"(v. 2). God lives with us. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, but He had even greater things in store. Jesus came to earth and revealed the glory of God. Now He's building a new temple, His Church, and it can never be destroyed.
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God is your trust. If you trust Him, you will want to obey Him. Be careful that you don't misplace your trust in the world's substitutes. The Enemy will do all he can to divert your trust in God. Keep trusting in the Lord and rejoice that He never fails.
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