Psalm 44
A Prayer for Help
The people of Israel remembered all the great things God did for their ancestors — but now things were going badly. They hadn't forgotten God, so they cry out asking why He seems to have fallen asleep. God never really sleeps, and He hears their cry.
- 1We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what You did in their days, in days of old.
- 2With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers; You crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.
- 3It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them.
- 4You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
- 5Through You we push back our enemies; through Your name we trample our foes.
- 6I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;
- 7but You give us victory over our enemies, You put our adversaries to shame.
- 8In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever. Selah
- 9But now You have rejected and humbled us; You no longer go out with our armies.
- 10You made us retreat before the enemy, and our adversaries have plundered us.
- 11You sold us like sheep to be devoured and have scattered us among the nations.
- 12You sold Your people for a pittance, gaining nothing from their sale.
- 13You have made us a reproach to our neighbors, the scorn and derision of those around us.
- 14You have made us a byword among the nations; the peoples shake their heads at us.
- 15I live in disgrace all day long, and my face is covered with shame
- 16at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me, because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.
- 17All this came upon us, though we had not forgotten You; we had not been false to Your covenant.
- 18Our hearts had not turned back; our feet had not strayed from Your path.
- 19But You crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals; You covered us with deep darkness.
- 20If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
- 21would not God have discovered it, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
- 22Yet for Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
- 23Awake, Lord! Why do You sleep? Rouse Yourself! Do not reject us forever.
- 24Why do You hide Your face and forget our misery and oppression?
- 25We are brought down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
- 26Rise up and help us; rescue us because of Your unfailing love.
What it means
These people had heard wonderful stories about what God did long ago, but right now their own lives were going badly — and they told God so. You can ask God honest questions like that. Bringing your confusion to Him is not being rude; it is trusting Him enough to talk to Him about it.
A little prayer
Lord, I have heard about the amazing things You have done. Sometimes I wonder where You are when things go wrong for me. Thank You that I can ask You honestly, and that You never fall asleep. Help me keep trusting You. Amen.
Memory verse
“Rise up and help us; rescue us because of Your unfailing love.”
Psalm 44:26 (BSB)
It appeals to love rather than to fairness, which is a different kind of asking.
Talk about it
Questions with no single right answer — for a family table or a Sunday-school circle.
- The people remember God's past rescues while things are going badly now. Does remembering good times help or hurt?
- The psalm complains to God quite directly. Is complaining to God allowed?
- They say they have not forgotten Him even though it feels like He has forgotten them. What keeps someone loyal in that?
- What is a story from your family that gets retold?
Try this
The retelling
Ask the oldest person you can reach to tell you one story about a time things worked out that nobody expected. Write it down and keep it. Read verse 1 first.
You will need: Something to write with, and a phone if the person is far away.
More When Afraid psalms
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
psalmsforkids.com/psalms/44