“But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand.” Psalm 10:14a (NIV)
It just shouldn’t be this way. It’s just not fair. There are seasons this thought glides in. Times of immense tragedy or crisis or prolonged heartache or a destroyed relationship…those moments that are not the small disappointments or inconvenient complications.
- The storm seasons that leave us reeling.
- When it feels like wickedness is winning.
- When it feels like God is silent.
- When there is heartache or trauma.
- When we are ambushed or betrayed.
Psalm 10 is written for these moments: these moments where we’re trying to cling on to the promise of God’s Kingdom being here and not yet, but it’s so, so hard. You can almost hear the agonizing cry of the first verse: “Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” The writer of the psalm then goes on to dedicate 52% of the lines for the whole psalm describing what the wicked have done or what they’re like. From verses two through six, we see the unfairness: those who are taking advantage, overtly greedy, ignoring the rules, using threats and lies are coming across as winning. The result? They leave a carriage of destruction. And the writer is left with a longing for justice.
It’s a bit depressing if we don’t have the rest of the chapter. But thankfully, it is not the end of the story. Thankfully there are verses 14 through 18. We don’t end there because we serve the God Who Sees. We serve the God who is on the side of the oppressed and the distraught. We praise a God who listens and encourages.
“But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.” (verse 14)
There is still a longing for things to be made right - for justice to be restored - that follows in verse 15, but the writer has acknowledged the reality, processed their feelings, and now landed in the camp that it is worthy to praise the Lord in the midst of it.
“You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never strike terror.” (verses 17-18)
When things are not as they should be, God sees it and agrees. When it’s unfair, God sees it and comforts. When things shake us, God sees it and listens. When things crash around us, God sees it and defends us.
What a mighty God we serve that we can be real in moments of anguish, that we can be validated in our longing for justice, and that we can turn to praise in the midst of it all. Because we know the ending of the story and someday wickedness won’t win.
