Psalm 44: Are you sleeping?

By Sean Theunissen


Psalm 44 (NIV) 

23 Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
24 Why do you hide your face
and forget our misery and oppression?

If someone had prayed with the similar tone and content as the second half of psalm 44 in a prayer meeting, it would have been unsettling. The first half, great, the second AWKWARD!

To say to God: 'Get up, God! Are you going to sleep all day?' to me seems irreverent when you consider who you're speaking to - God of heaven and earth who can crush whole kingdoms like a tortilla chip. If however the God of the entire universe calls you His children and calls Himself a perfect Father, then it changes things a whole lot. The tone and content are still quite bold but it's a prayer backed with promises and it reflects a very open and honest relationship.

The writer here is at a loss to understand why God has seemingly stopped going before Israel in battle. The Israelites have started to 'retreat before the enemy...and have been scattered among the nations'.

There are so many people that I know who have gone through massive hardship, some of them even recently. These aren't people who have turned their back on God, or have allowed sin to take root, and yet they have found themselves in situations, which are difficult to understand.

I have not had to endure hardship like some of my friends but I do know that those who have come through are stronger and more mature in their faith than before. God isn't a slot machine and He also doesn't sleep. He is a perfect Father who wants to see His children fruitful and pruning is a big part of the process.

Interestingly the first half of the psalm is one of thanksgiving and speaks of a mature relationship with God. "I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory, but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame." (Vs 6&7) It's so often in the storm that we realise what is important and who is really trustworthy.

We are allowed to be honest with God, this isn't petulance, it’s an open relationship between a child and his dad. When my children stand at my bedside asking me when I'm going to get up, I don't say, "Treat me with respect," I say, "It's not time yet!"

Lord, help me to see you for who you are, sovereign and powerful, but also perfect Father. Lord, help me to seek you in every trial, to ask you why, rather than turn my back on you and walk away. Lord, I know it's better to be broken by You than from You. Thank you that I'm your child and you work all things together for my good.