April 27, 2017
NOT FOR US, BUT FOR THE GLORY OF YOUR NAME!
Psalm 79
Mike Uhlig
Central Truth
Psalm 79 is a great reminder that the Lord will always deliver us on His own accord and for His own glory. It can be easy to go before the Lord with what we do and don't want, while forgetting to check our intentions. God's plan is always better.
Key Verse | Psalm 79:9
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name's sake!
(Psalm 79:9)
Psalm 79
How Long, O LORD?
A Psalm of Asaph.
1
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2
They have given the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
3
They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
4
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.
5
How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6
Pour out your anger on the nations
that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms
that do not call upon your name!
7
For they have devoured Jacob
and laid waste his habitation.
8
Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
1
79:8
Or the iniquities of former generations
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
9
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name's sake!
10
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!
11
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
12
Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!
13
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 79
This psalm is very similar to Psalm 74. In fact, Asaph repeats himself often throughout the psalms he wrote. I think Asaph and I have a lot in common when it comes to asking God questions to which we already know the answer!
My favorite part of this psalm is in the middle when Asaph humbly asks for the Lord's help. He asks not because he wants freedom from his current affliction, but for the glory of God’s name (verse 9)!
In the beginning of the psalm, Asaph laments the destruction of the Lord’s temple and the killing of His people. His lament stems from righteous anger because he knows the Lord’s name should not be mocked. This lament reveals Asaph's heart more than anything else. He doesn’t care about his own feelings. He denies his own desires and instead elevates the name of the Lord. He knows if his heart is aligned with the Lord’s, the outcome will always benefit him because his life’s purpose is to magnify the Lord.
I find this concept both challenging and encouraging. I often find myself asking the Lord to spare me from adversity because the pain seems too difficult. I often selfishly ask for God’s help, expecting Him to change everything I don’t like about my life or to give me the things I want. I take comfort, however, that even when I think I know what is best for my life, God’s plan is always better!
Bottom line: the hero of this story and the story of our personal lives is not ourselves, but Jesus! Through our affliction and through celebration, God will always reveal Himself to us. Praise God!
Discussion Questions
1. How can God use your personal circumstance to bring glory to His name?
2. What are examples in Scripture in which God uses suffering to bring Himself glory?
3. How can you pray for God to be most glorified? How can you live a life that brings glory to Him?