Revive Us Again (Psalm 44)

We don’t know the exact circumstances that inspired Psalm 44, but as we read it, it’s not hard to relate to the feelings of grief and distress the writer feels at their unexplained suffering. How easy is it, in the midst of difficulty, to be weighed down by the pain we see right in front of us? Maybe we suffer unjustly from someone else’s sinful choices. Maybe we suffer a terrible and unexpected loss. At times, even, maybe we suffer the miserable consequences of our own choices.

What the writer of Psalm 44 shows us is a way to seek the Lord in the midst of the uncertainty of this life. In our distress, we learn that it is good to remember how God has carried us, what He has done to redeem us, and what He promises to do to rescue us. Where else can we go but to such a Savior? 

Over and over again, the Psalms teach us to recall what God has done and to trust Him to be true to His character. This song echoes those themes and gives voice to our hearts’ deepest longings. What better way to bring our hearts before Him than to cry out in faith with the psalmist, “Our Savior and Friend, revive us again!”

Recalling God’s Covenant Faithfulness

“O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days…” (Psalm 44:1)

Lord we have heard all of Your ways

How You walked with Your people and guided them all of their days

You opened the sea, You gave them a home

You fought for Your children, You saved them and made them Your own

When we look back at the history of God’s people, time and again we see the way He inclined His ear to them, heard their cry, and rescued them. Through His Word, we see that God was faithful to His covenant with Israel, even when they were unfaithful. 

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

And He does – over and over and over again. We can draw comfort from this evidence of God’s character. He who promised to be our portion and our Savior will be true to that promise. 

Clinging to God’s Present Salvation

“For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.” (Psalm 44:6-7)

Lord we have seen the nails in Your hands

How You opened the grave with a power we can’t comprehend

Your Spirit our help, Your Word is our light

We long for Your presence and power, to be by Your side

Not only do we see God’s faithfulness to Israel all throughout the Old Testament, but we now live in the present faithfulness of God our Savior through the work of Christ on the cross. 

“For our sake [the Father] made [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

And now the Holy Spirit dwells in us, helping us in our weakness. This is the promise for our present circumstances. We have salvation through Christ’s life, death and resurrection; we have the indwelling Spirit that empowers us with the same power that raised Christ from the dead; and we have God’s Word that lights our path, reminds us of His past faithfulness, and helps us to see rightly. We can live in His presence and power, for He is by our side in all things. 

Hoping in God’s Future Reign

“Rise up; come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!” (Psalm 44:26)

Lord we will see in glory that day

You reigning in power forever, eternally praised

Til faith is made sight, til darkness is light

We hope in the promise of Jesus, the way truth and life

When we are faced with the reality of the broken world we live in, sometimes we need a moment to cry out and say, “Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” We can’t always see what He’s doing; we can’t always tell that He is sovereignly reigning over all of our days, every moment. But this song reminds us that our hope does not exist only in our present circumstances – in what we can see; it is rooted in a promised future day when God will reign in glory and perfect justice, making all things new and right and good. 

“We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Romans 8:23-25)

We endure our present sufferings in light of this hope. We rest in and respond to the proven character of a trustworthy God, even though we can’t see it now. If He has promised this future restoration of all things, He will make it come to pass. 

Conclusion

“In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever.” (Psalm 44:6-8)

Psalm 44 and this song written from it teach us where our hope lies in the midst of our distress. We can boast in our God; we can cry out to Him, “Revive us! Reach out your hand!” And He will. 

Romans 8 is a widely quoted section of Scripture, rich in the theology of our salvation and our future hope. And in it, Paul quotes Psalm 44:22. Listen to the context in which he references this psalm:

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, [in Psalm 44:22]

‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-39)

Lord, help us to see our present sufferings in light of this truth! Help us in our unbelief to cry out to You to revive us. And help us to rest, knowing that You will be true to your character and faithful to us. You are worthy of our praise, our trust, our hope, our thanks! We boast in You only, God! Our Savior and Friend, revive us again for the sake of Your steadfast love. 

Amen.