Are You Impatient with God? (Psalm 86-89)
Do you ever feel like God forgot his promises? Psalm 89 reminds us to keep singing and trusting even when we don’t see the answers yet.
Psalm 86-89
Today's Scripture Passage
A Few Thoughts to Consider
Are you easily frustrated with God’s timetable?
Do you naturally complain about his absence and grumble about how he’s disappointed you? Or is your default instinct to say something positive? Psalm 89 offers a helpful guide. This passage is a psalm of lament and praise that acknowledges God's steadfast love and faithfulness. It recounts the promises made to David and his descendants, emphasizing God's covenant and the enduring nature of his kingdom.
The psalmist is a man named Ethan the Ezrahite, a musician in the temple. He expresses anguish over the apparent failure of these promises due to the current state of Israel but ultimately appeals to God's unchanging character, seeking his favor and restoration. In verses 1-2, Ethan says:
1 I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever;
I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.
2 For I will declare,
“Faithful love is built up forever;
you establish your faithfulness in the heavens.”
As Derek Kidner writes, “The foundation to this psalm is the great prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:4–17, at the heart of which is the promise of a throne for David’s dynasty forever.”[1] However, in this passage, we see this tension. Jerusalem was destroyed, and kings no longer ruled. To many, it feels like God had forgotten his people. The psalmist longs for the day when he will see the promises of God fulfilled, but in the meantime, he sings.
In verses 38-39, Ethan brings his raw concerns before God and says, 38 “But you have spurned and rejected him; you have become enraged with your anointed. 39 You have repudiated the covenant with your servant; you have completely dishonored his crown.” To the average onlooker, this prayer borders on irreverence. But Ethan prays out of a heart of trust for God. He’s stating the raw emotions he feels, he’s wrestling with God, and he’s doing so out of praise.
He's saying, “God, life is hard. It looks like you have reneged on your covenant and abandoned your people. But still, I will trust and sing to you. I know you are good.”
