Psalm 80

July 23   Psalm 80

"God Almighty" is repeated in this Psalm several times.  This is referring to the fact that God is all-powerful. He is not a God who is weak and unable to help.  He is the God who by His mighty hand can change everything.  Our circumstances may be terrible, but nothing is beyond the hands of God to help.  Some of our troubles may come because we live in a fallen world and it is no longer perfect with things like disease and disasters that affect our lives.  God can rescue is in the storms and heal our diseases.  Some of our troubles because people have free-will and go against God's rules for living.  People may hurt us and offend us in a variety of different ways.  God can help us find healing and hope.  

Some of our problems comes as a result of our own choices.  In several Psalms there are references to a need for forgiveness and turning God's anger towards them before with now a desire to repent and get that anger turned away.  God is almighty and can forgive and restore us.  But when we pray for God's help and rescue, we need to be sure that we have turned our hearts back to God.  If our situation where we need God's help is a result of me making bad choices and I have not learned my lesson and turned away, then God may very well delay in using His power to rescue until I know better. 

 For example:  you can have your hand on a burner on the stove and pray that God will take away the pain.  But if you were to leave your hand there and God just simply took the pain you would be causing damage to your hand without feeling it.  In the same way, asking God to help us without a realization and dealing with the root problem may look like: God take away my guilt and shame without me changing my behavior.  God take away my consequences without me being repentant.  What good would that truly do?  Perhaps when we don't see an answer to prayer it is not at all about God's ability to answer but more about our not being in the right position to truly be helped.  What is God teaching me in this moment?  What do I need to do differently in my life?