Psalm 79

Scripture  Psalm 79:8-9 & 13  Do not remember the iniquities of our forefathers against us;

Let Your compassion come quickly to meet us, For we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; And deliver us and forgive our sins for Your name’s sake...So we Your people and the sheep of Your pasture will give thanks to You forever; To all generations we will tell of Your praise. Observation-What does it say?  “Asaph is featured prominently in Chronicles. He is described as the chief of the Levites appointed to minister before the ark of the Lord, and he and his brothers are appointed to sing the songs of thanksgiving to the Lord (1Chr 16:4-7)” (bibleodyssey.org).  This psalm dates to the time of Israel’s exile and the captivity of Judah by Babylon (near 600 BC).  It is a prayer for the forgiveness of Israel and for God’s judgement on their neighboring countries who have dealt harshly with them.  Israel suffered exile because of the continued sins over generations.  Asaph prays for God’s people to be brought near to His glory, so His great name will go forth for generations to come.   Understanding-What does it mean?  Not that long ago, I found a piece of my sports equipment broken and hiding in our backyard (it was so important to me that I don’t even remember what it was).  I had a sneaking suspicion that one of my boys had used it and accidentally broken it.  But, instead of coming clean about the issue, they tried to hide it and act as if it hadn’t happened.  While normally I could go a little off the deep end about these types of incidents, I was able to gather myself this time and ask what happened calmly.  A little to my surprise, it wasn’t a straight disaster when the item broke.  They boys had a minor problem and tried to fix it, which unfortunately made the problem irreparable.  Embarrassed, they put the item somewhere that they thought I wouldn’t see it.Sometimes, we act the same way with our sins.  God gives us directions on how to live, but then we try to shortcut those plans or act as though we can do it better.  In our pride, when we totally fail we try to hide it, usually with another bad decision.  In time, we have walked so far from what God intended for us and are paying the price for it.  These are the times when we need to come to God with humility and cry out, “Draw me back to you.”  We, like Paul, are often at odds with our own body.  “ I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.  For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members”(Romans 7:21-23).  In these times, we must learn to rely on the Holy Spirit. Life Application  “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)  Through God, we are more than conquerors.  In him we will not only move past our sin, but we will also overcome death and be wrapped up in His glory for all time, “for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”(Acts 17:28).  God help me to rely on this fully everyday and live as your child, not as a slave to sin.    
-Tyler Galloway