"The Sheep of Your Pasture" (Ps 74)

“O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?” (vs1)

Bless God, He takes responsibility for us, even in our failures, because He is glorified in saving SINNERS and promised us eternal life in the covenant, as the Savior of the sheep (vs1-11). He says, “Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old, the tribe of Your inheritance, which You have redeemed – this Mount Zion where You have dwelt. Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary", and again, "O God, how long will the adversary reproach? will the enemy blaspheme Your name forever?  Why do You withdraw Your hand, even Your right hand? take it out of your bosom and destroy them".  We don't say, “It is God's fault”, but rather than being blamed for our failures and without help, we can admit defeat, and call upon Christ to save because we are His, and He's faithful to His people. He said, “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd” (John 10:15-16).

This removes the burden from me, as if I have to fight sin myself. I can say, “Lord, sin is against You. I trust Christ. Save me from the oppressor, and make me able to praise You in my faithfulness and life”. This prayer of Psalm 74 is for the saint and the church; it is for the group and the individual, as we admit DEFEAT and get God involved, not because we'll help Him, but because we're His.

God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of all things (vs12-17). He says, “The day is Yours, the night also is Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have set all the borders of the earth; You have made summer and winter”. He has absolute power and control, so that He CAN save! It isn't that the enemy of sin or opposition is stronger than God, for that cannot be. We simply need Almighty Power to take our situation into His care, to defeat our enemies supernaturally, and to give us the victory in Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57).

We've been made willing by the grace of God to trust Christ for holiness and power, and now we call upon Him as the ruler of everything, the slayer of the devil, and the One Champion who does His pleasure continually. He says, “For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the sea serpents in the waters. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gave him as food to the people inhabiting the wilderness. You broke open the fountain and the flood; You dried up mighty rivers”. It won't be hard for God. He died at the cross and rose again, now He may slay His enemies and subdue the nations (and our flesh) as He sees fit, “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:2). There is no power that can stand up to Him. Bless His name for absolute and total power yielded LOVINGLY for you.

When I heard the gospel of a sovereign saving God who put me in the Book of Life, chose and predestinated me for salvation, and that by only believing it was assuredly mine, I remember walking in confidence for the first time in my life. Eternal Power was on my side, loving me independent of my performances and in the teeth of my sins. This power, which is used for my salvation and promises me victory and endurance, is the rest of faith. It is knowing Who rules this world, that He is for you, and your enemies cannot possibly win! You enjoy this privilege in Christ. You are saved by a predestining and unfailing God who works all things for your good and uses His awesome eternal power to save you from sin, securing you the promises that He's earned (Eph 1:11).

We want God-given strength to praise His name, and it will be given (vs18-23)! He says, “Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD, and that a foolish people has blasphemed Your name. Oh, do not deliver the life of Your turtledove to the wild beast! Do not forget the life of Your poor forever. Have respect to the covenant; For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty. Oh, do not let the oppressed return ashamed! Let the poor and needy praise Your name.” We will get grace to obey, because where else would obedience come from, and how else could we conquer, if God didn't stand for us and intervene? Over time, you realize the battle isn't yours but the Lord's. You and I can't do anything but ask Him to do for us, and look to Him helplessly for strength!

This gospel of a saving God is the object of faith, as we by prayer and need look upward for everything, rather than within. Problems arise when we THINK that we can make it, but defeat brings grace to mind and reminds us to lean upon and depend upon Him. Grace will do the saving, so that we may say, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me”, and we'll sing in the spirit and understanding, as we sing of the salvation that God did, by His power, amidst our nothingness and defeat!