Psalm 74: Spiritual Wounds - And Healing

I serve a church that came to worship one Sunday morning about 10 years ago to discover that someone had defaced their building and vandalized their property.  The spiritual wounds that it left were very real and deep, even though the physical clean-up quickly returned the church to its previous condition.  People were left feeling damaged and at a loss to understand why they were victimized in this way.  How much more painful and grief-stricken must the Israelites have been following the destruction of the Temple and the defeat of Jerusalem by a godless army?

Psalm 74 laments the desecration of the Temple in Jerusalem.  According to verses 3-8, invading foes have smashed through the holy places and profaned the sanctuary.  This is likely describing the result of the Babylonian attack in 587 B.C.  There is a profound sense of loss and grief on the part of the psalmist describes as he attempts to understand God's actions and inactions, His message and His silence, in the unfolding of these events.

Where is God?  Why is He silent? (vs. 11)  These are the questions the Israelites are left with as they struggle in the aftermath.  After recounting the terrible deeds done by God's enemies, the psalmist pleads for God to rouse Himself, remember His covenant, and come to the defense of His people.  

The good news is that the story doesn't end here - there is a time of recovery and restoration coming, when God will make all things new.  Though we may not perceive it at once, God is always at work (vs. 12).