Psalm 79:11

Here in this Psalm the unthinkable happened. The Temple, which so many superstitiously thought could never be destroyed and desecrated, was now completely devastated and made desolate. On account of their unrestrained apostasy and sinfulness, judgment came. That which they never thought could happen, happened.

The heathen, probably the Babylonians, ravaged their inheritance, defiled the temple and laid Jerusalem (the holy city) in complete ruins (v1). They decimated the saints and left many of the slain in the streets unburied. The Psalmist intimates “the dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of the heaven, the flesh of the saints unto the beasts of the earth” (v2). They had pitifully become a scorn and a derision to many of their neighbors, an utter reproach (4). The enemy had become entrenched in the land. This psalm is by no means a happy one. It is a sad cry of heartfelt anguish and despair.

Sometimes the unthinkable happens. Israel had lost her testimony. As a result of sin, her light had gone out. The only way to adequately describe them is how the Psalmist succinctly puts it in verse 5 “. . . For we are brought very low”. It drove the Psalmist to his knees. Many times, things conspire to bring us to our knees. There was nowhere else for him to turn. When we are driven to extremity all we can do is to pray, to cry out for help as the Psalmist practically does in verse 9. He simply states, “Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name’s sake.”

When the unthinkable happens, when our hearts are drowning in sorrow and overwhelmed by grief and bad news, it is more than implied from this passage that not only must we pray and cry out for help, but that God, the Almighty will hear us! It is with much relief we read – “Let the sighing of the prisoners come before thee, according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die” (v.11).

Let it never be obscured from our minds that no matter how dark things get, He can deliver those appointed to die! I find this thought remarkable and enlightening. So often we tend to forget the many times in Scripture that He actually drove death away, according to the greatness of His power (v.11). He can preserve the sick and dying. Where there was death, Jesus spoke life. We need to remind the enemy and ourselves – through Him, our lives are preserved.

It’s worthy of repeating and quoting again – O Lord, preserve those appointed to die. It is an urgent prayer for divine help and redemption! We pray, reverse the sentence of death. Disappoint the enemy. Let not our churches, our marriages, our children, our homes, our neighborhoods and our people die! Preserve! The word preserve means to keep alive, or in existence, make lasting, keep safe from harm and injury, protect, spare, keep up, maintain, to prepare to resist decomposition and fermentation. I pray this prayer over us in these desperately harsh, evil and wicked times. May God give us back our testimony. If or when the unthinkable happens, may we pray like the Psalmist – “. . . According to the greatness of thy power, preserve thou those that appointed to die” (v.11). This almost depressing Psalm ends on a high note of praise and optimism!