Pastor's Ponderings: Old Testament bible study of Psalm 44 (January 22, 2026)

January 21, 2026:  Thursday Bible Study on Psalm 44

Blessings and Peace be with you on this cloudy cool morning in Tucson, and if you are some place more sunny and warmer, give thanks to God for your good fortune. Please remember to keep the people in the south of our nation in your prayers as they prepare to have a massive bitter cold, ice and snowstorm race through their states and communities. I know that we have suffered with a drought for about 15 years here in the desert, but minus our concerns about water, we have every reason to give thanks for our beautiful warm winter, and for the rainstorms that have come and blessed us all with not having to water our trees and flowers every week.  This all goes with the 44 Psalm that we are considering this morning. We always give thanks to God for what is good and satisfies our needs, but when we are suffering with the drought, and water bills are high, and we face the risk of rationing, then we don't want to acknowledge that it is God who is still in charge, and, by the way, exactly why is God asleep or distant as we pray for rain and relief in the desert?  Though we have complaints, all too often we are unwilling to place it, with our concern, at God's feet.

This is really the way in which this Psalm is structured. In this Psalm we begin with the Psalmist's recalling of how God had cared for His People, saving them from their enemies, helping them in battle as they move to settle the promised land, and even giving them water, "bread", and quail to sustain them in their wandering in the wilderness.  The second part of the Psalmist’s song is protest. Why then, God, are you not treating us the same, while we suffer at the hands of our enemies now? Next comes the Psalmist's apology for the rash statements that have been made with anger and frustration directed toward God. Next comes the challenge of the Psalmist for God to "WAKE UP!". I feel that this really goes to that age old faith question. Why are some people of faith healed from illness in miraculous ways, and other people of faith are seemingly left by God to languish in pain and suffering, and ultimately to succumb to it all in death? I certainly wish that I knew, but God is the Great "I AM", and His choices for His people are truly unsearchable. We can also state this in another way, "I will be who I will be". We must always understand that God has a dynamic Holy direction in which He, and He alone, chooses to move his creation and His people on the path that has always been in place. Sometimes we are on that God Plan and doing well sticking with it, but then, in our brokenness we slip away, but rather than dismiss us as lost, God reshapes His Ultimate Plan to once again include we who are "wandering" away, so that we might all continue to be included.  Of course, this is why the Christ of God was given to creation, to provide for the restoration of God's plan for all things. So, when we are feeling like God might not really be awake with regard to how we are doing individually and corporately in our relationship with the Great I AM, we need to remember that He is always in charge.

May our LORD be with you every day as we all give thanks for His abundant love and Grace, knowing that He is never far off.

With Christ's Love, Pastor Kim