READ Psalm 74:18–23. 18 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name. 19 Do not hand over the life of your dove to wild beasts; do not forget the lives of your afflicted people forever. 20 Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. 21 Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name. 22 Rise up, O God, and defend your cause; remember how fools mock you all day long. 23 Do not ignore the clamor of your adversaries, the uproar of your enemies, which rises continually.
REMEMBER YOUR COVENANT. The destroyed temple, the place of sacrifice and atonement, was the place where the people could approach the holy God despite their sin. This provision was part of the covenant he made with them through Moses, that he would be their God. In the end the psalmist rests in the knowledge that God will not forget this covenant (verse 20). We can also lay down our fears, knowing that God has upheld his covenant in Jesus Christ, whose ultimate sacrifice for sin and mediation is the new, final temple.71 Now we know that the covenant promise “I will be your God” really means “no matter what,” because in Christ we see the lengths to which he will go to love us.
Prayer: Lord, our lives are filled with both darkness and light, sin and grace. So help me respond as I should in prayer—both complaining and praising, both lamenting and trusting—but sweetened with the knowledge that ultimately all will end in joy and glory. Amen.