Psalm 44:9, 11, 17, 22-24, 26 (NIV)

But now you have rejected and humbled us; you no longer go out with our armies. You gave us up to be devoured like sheep and have scattered us among the nations. All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten you; we had not been false to your covenant. Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever. Why do you hide your face and forget our misery and oppression? Rise up and help us; rescue us because of your unfailing love.

The psalms are remarkably honest and emotional, and Psalm 44 is probably the clearest example. Can you imagine yourself outside the entrance to God’s Holy City, pounding on the door and yelling today’s verses…not out into the air for anyone to hear, but directed at God himself? “I have not forgotten you, Lord, yet you have forgotten me! I know I’m not perfect, but I’m not some obnoxious rebel, either! Why are you just sitting up there on your throne? Why don’t you come to my rescue? I’m suffering and in pain! You say you are faithful and good, so get up off that throne and help us! Prove your love!” I don’t know that I would have the audacity to do this. Would you? If you have been suffering for a while, I certainly would not blame you.

David may have been the author of this brutally honest petition/complaint, but God allowed it into the canon of Scripture. It has His “seal of approval,” as it were. Regarding these types of psalms, Pastor John Piper said, “We touch pillows wet with tears. We hear and feel the unabashed cries of affliction and shame and regret and grief and anger and discouragement and turmoil. But what makes all this stunningly different from the sorrows of the world is that all of it — absolutely all of it — is experienced in relation to the totally sovereign God.” Piper ends with the main point of psalm 44 – God’s sovereignty – but there are also some concrete steps to follow if you are suffering with a burden not of your own making.

God places a premium on remembering. It has been said that we forget what we should remember and remember what we should forget. If you have a tendency to beat yourself up for past transgressions or mistakes, that is exactly where Satan wants you to be (Rev. 12:10) and exactly what God has set you free from (2 Cor. 5:17). One third of psalm 44 is spent remembering God’s provision and deliverance and faithfulness, and if you are suffering you need to do the same. When you are at your lowest, force yourself to recall God’s faithfulness in your life. What He has brought you through and what He has blessed you with. God’s character never changes – He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8) – and that is the foundation on which you can place your present and future hope.

Nobody likes a constant complainer, but David is not playing that role. He is simply being honest with God regarding his anger, frustration, and despair. God already knows what’s in your heart and He knows what you are going to say before you say it, so go ahead and say it! This in no “get it off your chest” moment as you “unload” on the God of the universe with no filter. You are banging on the Gates of Heaven, so it helps to remember who the occupant is. It’s ok to be brutally honesty, but never ok to be irreverent. As you pour forth your complaints and fear and anger, you should experience some tension and some healthy fear of the Lord. It’s one thing to unload on your annoying neighbor…but quite another to unload on a Federal Judge.

The Apostle Paul quotes Psalm 44:22 in Romans 8:35-39 and it is on that marvelous proclamation that we will end today. This uncomfortable psalm does not end with a resolution, but with a plea that places all hope on the shoulders of God’s love…and sometimes, that is all that any of us can do.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”