Ask God to open your heart as you open up this psalm with the link above or in your Bible.
Today's psalm is a somber heartbreaking song of praise and questioning in the face of overwhelming persecution.
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the bodies of your servants
to the birds of the heavens for food,
the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth.
They have poured out their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.
Psalm 79:1-4
The kind of persecution and oppression described by the psalmist is foreign to us in the US. At least today. But there are many nations in the world where our fellow Believers could take this psalm to heart as their own.
A watch list of the top 50 nations with severe to high levels of Christian persecution can be found on the Open Doors website. For 60 years they have served and equipped Christians in the most hostile areas of the world.
The Voice of the Martyrs is an interdenominational missions organization which gives a voice to persecuted Christians through both practical and spiritual help. The stories they share of oppressed Believers will break your heart and encourage hope as they profess continued trust in God despite suffering and loss.
Today, take time to explore both these sites. Connect with those who could sing Psalm 79 as their own. Read the stories of "Mary", Elizabeth's daughter Mariam, and Samuel. Consider your willingness to trust Him under extreme persecution. Let your heart ache for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Cry out to God on their behalf.
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Psalm 79:13
Lord, I confess, I do not understand why You allow Your people to suffer at the hand of evil. I confess my ignorance of their plight and complacency brought on by affluence. Fill my heart with Your sorrow for Your persecuted people. Fill me with hope centered on Your purpose and Your coming judgment. Fill me with thanks, praise, and spiritual fervor to exercise my faith to the utmost with the freedom You've provided me. Amen. (Let it be so.)
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