Have you ever felt like God was ignoring you, that He was turning a deaf ear to your prayers? Perhaps you felt like God was hiding from you, and that He was too far away to be bothered with you. Many Christians, at one time or another, have probably felt that way. They have felt that their prayers got no further than the ceiling. Some believers have been in such a desperate situation that they felt as if God had abandoned them. Our psalm for this week speaks of feelings like that, and how their trust in the truth about God brought them out of such thoughts.
Psalm 10 is another “orphan” psalm, meaning that its author is unknown. We don’t know any specifics about what brought on his feelings of despair, but we can sense that things just weren’t going well for him in his life right then. And to make matters worse, the psalmist looks around and he sees how his wicked, unbelieving neighbors seem to be prospering. Everything they do seems to go fine, all they touch seems to turn to gold, while his life is a mess. He prays and prays but God does not seem to listen. God is seemingly blessing the wicked, while he, a righteous believer, is struggling just to get by. However, as the psalmist contemplates the matter more thoroughly, he remembers that God is a just God, that He is sovereign, that He does hear his prayers, and cares for the oppressed, even when it might not immediately look like it.
As our psalm opens, the psalmist begins with a cry of confusion (vs. 1). As mentioned earlier, this is something that most of us have felt at some point in our life. Why does God seem so distant in my troubles? This was the cry of Job throughout his whole book. It is very possible that at some points during his years of oppression, that Joseph in the Book of Genesis might have wondered where God was. Even the Lord Jesus, as He hung on the cross, cried out, feeling forsaken by God (Matthew 27:46). Each one, though, knew in their heart that God had not abandoned them. God’s seeming absence is never actual. His presence is constant, even when hidden from sight (Hebrews 13:5). In these times our faith needs to override our feelings. Cling to God’s promises, not our perceptions.
Next, our psalmist goes on to describe the wicked person, one who is not a believer, nor following the Lord and His Word (vs. 2-11). He paints a vivid portrait of such a person. In these verses he catalogs their arrogance, their violence, and the deceit of these ungodly people. They exploit the poor, deny any accountability for their actions, and they mock God and His justice.
These wicked people are filled with pride (vs. 4). Pride is at the root of their rebellion against God. Because they are filled with pride and are so full of themselves, they have never even considered turning to God or seeking after Him. Thoughts of God do not even cross their mind. Instead, they spend their time thinking of ways to oppress and prey on the vulnerable (vs. 8-10). Then they turn around with words of blasphemy, claiming that God does not see, nor will He judge their actions (vs. 11).
Our psalmist sees all of this, and of course, we know that God sees this, as well. The psalmist proceeds to pray for justice to be done (vs. 12-15). Instead of spending his time lamenting his poor condition, he turns to intercession for what he sees going on in the world around him. Knowing that God is a God of justice, he calls on Him to act. God hears the prayers and cries of the righteous, especially when injustice is being done. His justice may be delayed, but it is never denied (II Peter 3:9). Knowing this, we should always pray boldly. God wants His people to seek His intervention when evil is being done.
Our psalm ends with the psalmist reassured that God is still on His throne and in control (vs. 16-18). We know that God still reigns throughout the earth, and He still cares for the afflicted. He still defends the fatherless and the oppressed. Even when injustice seemingly abounds, we can trust in the righteousness of God, knowing that the time is soon coming when He will judge the wicked.
As we close, we should always remember that if we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we are never abandoned by God, even when in any given circumstance we might feel alone. God is always working behind the scenes. When it looks like the wicked are prospering, remember, that is only temporary, and they will be judged by the Lord. Also, remember that prayer is powerful, and as believers, we need to constantly avail ourselves of that. God does hear our prayers. He is eternal and sovereign, and will defend His children.
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