Daily Devotional for Tuesday, September 3

The Prayer for Israel

“Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed,” Psalm 79:10.

Since the very moment God called His special people, the Jews, other people have been out to get them. God’s people have been scattered abroad numerous times, and multiple attempts have been made to purge the world of them. Even since their rebirth as a nation in 1948, their neighbors have attempted to drive them out. Many even deny the right of the nation of Israel to exist. As this is written, the nation of Israel is engaged in yet another war to survive in the face of those who wish that it were not a nation.

Our backdrop for this psalm may be the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar during the Babylonian invasion. The people were lost, feeling distant from God and pleading for deliverance from their enemies. There is even some praise in advance for the anticipation of that deliverance. We know the story: God delivered His people from their captors, and they rebuilt the Temple. God always saves His people because they are His people. Even when people feel distant from God, He is no farther away than a prayer of repentance and praise to be right next to them again.

Even though this is specific to Israel, it also applies to you today. If you are a child of God, you are also one of His chosen. Do you feel overwhelmed and beset by the world around you? Do you feel like the heathen are beating on the gate of your life? This prayer is also for you. God has a glorious history of saving His chosen, and He will also rescue you. Turn back to Him and reach out to Him; if you do, He will answer your prayer.

JUST A THOUGHT
When we think God is far from us, we must remember who abandoned whom.

Wally Fry