The Boundary of Despair

Psalm 74

“ .. Thine enemies roar in the midst of thy congregations; they set up their ensigns for signs...they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all the synagogues of God ... We see not our signs: there is no more any prophet: neither is

there among us any that knoweth how long...(YET)..The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter...Have respect unto the covenant: Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: ..”

Some of the more trying times we face in life are those times confronted with despair. We often have times when life takes a wrong turn from the direction we were heading. But in those times of disappointment or frustration we can often use the road signs to direct us back to the highway

toward our intended destination.

Despair is much different than just taking the wrong exit. Despair is what we feel when we find ourselves going in the wrong direction and we have no

signs or indications to help us get back on track in the right direction. We continue on the unfamiliar road before us with a growing anxiety that builds toward panic with each additional unfamiliar mile. This is much like what we see in this passage.

The psalmist introduces a time when the intrusion of unbelievers became emboldened in disrupting his religious community. He shared how the disregard of what is sacred became elevated to involve direct and intentional attacks by enemies bent on the destruction of anything

religious. The enemy took pride in their evil deeds to strip away any sacred significance just to elevate their own selfish ends above the symbols and standards of morality. As everything sacred was removed or destroyed by growing numbers, grief gave way to despair. There was neither a ready

defense nor hope of returning to their shared community of faith.

In such hopeless times we can still find something to anchor our hope. The psalmist reminds us that despite the denial of God and his reign over our lives, God still reigns. The righteous and the unrighteous still carry on their lives and abide under God’s supreme power. It is God who sets the boundaries of each day and night and it is God who set the seasons in place. It is God who determines the limits of all things even though it may be denied or dismissed by the enemy.

In the conclusion of this passage, we are reminded that even when there is chaos and lawlessness, God may delay in judgments, but he will never permit his care and commitment toward us to be challenged. His name will never be dishonored nor will he be silent forever. God does not require our defense to be God.

Oh, and by the way, if you ever get lost on your travels, as long as you know where the sun rises and sets, you will never be truly lost. Have a wonderful day, my friends.