Psalm 44:16-26: For he knoweth the secrets of the heart

From Psalms

Psalm 44 verses 16-26

¹⁶For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth;
      by reason of the enemy and avenger.

¹⁷All this is come upon us;
      yet have we not forgotten thee,
      neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
¹⁸Our heart is not turned back,
      neither have our steps declined from thy way;
¹⁹Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons,
      and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰If we have forgotten the name of our God,
      or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
²¹Shall not God search this out?
      for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
²²Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long;
      we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

²³Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?
      arise, cast us not off for ever.
²⁴Wherefore hidest thou thy face,
      and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?

²⁵For our soul is bowed down to the dust:
      our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
²⁶Arise for our help,
      and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.

After meditating on these verses, reading and re-reading, the title verse from verse from verse 21 stands out to me.  God does know the secrets of our hearts.  He knows when we are being honest and when we are not.  He knows when we are not being true and when we are dealt falsely in thy covenant.

I have written in these blogs previously that when I feel like God has forgotten me, it turns out that it is I who have forgotten God.  However, in today's psalm the writer swears that is absolutely not the case.  Could that be?  Ins't God is always near us?  Under what circumstances would God punish a person who keeps God and his laws close to him?  To answer this, I'd like to look at Job, which just happens to be right ahead of psalms in the bible.

Job is extremely devout and blessed, prosperous with a large family of 10 children.  Satan convinces God that Job is only devout because of his blessings, and that without his possessions and children he would curse God.  So God allows Satan to test his loyalty and destroys his possessions and kills all children.  Instead of cursing God, Job seems to become more devoted to God.  So Satan steps it up with more personal afflictions in hopes of turning Job against God.  Job does not respond with a typical prayer of lamentation but rather asks for trial from God.  God finds him innocent and blameless, because he knows Job's heart, and allows him to return to a normal life without turmoil.

Why is this important?  Because this story teaches us that we should always trust in God.  Trust in the plan he has for us.  Whether our lives are prosperous or whether they are in turmoil.  In our problems, God may be testing us or may be teaching us but we should never forget him because in doing so he will never forget us.

Thanks for letting me share.