Psalm 44:9
“But you have rejected us and disgraced us and have not gone out with our armies.”

We’ve all been there, haven’t we … in that place of apparent contradiction between the goodness of God that we read about in the Bible and what we’re actually experiencing in our lives. And although the Lord eventually reveals Himself as the God of Romans 8:28 who “works all the things together for the good of those who love Him,” we can still find ourselves in that place of confusion.

I read this Psalm in somewhat of a confused state. When I think of God and His people in an Old Testament setting, I always see God helping the armies of Israel defeat their enemies. But here we are, in the midst of Psalm 44 and God has rejected and disgraced His people’s armies.

Interestingly, God allows this Psalm to be a Psalm of confusion. There’s no real resolution or happy ending here. It simply ends on a confusing note. Why would God do that? Because He wants us to know confusion isn’t necessarily wrong, and sometimes it’s OK to be confused.

Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God’s ways are so much higher than our own ways, and that we may not ever understand God’s ways fully. Confusion is a condition we’re going to experience one way or another in this world, yet it’s not a sign that something is wrong with us.

It’s okay to be confused about life and about what God is doing. The key, however, is to continue trusting in Him despite the confusion. We are all constantly in-progress toward our very own Romans 8:28 “good” as Christians, and even when it doesn’t feel like it, we need to desperately trust and believe in God and His hand in our lives.

Think about it.

Have you ever prayed a prayer like the Psalmist? Felt forgotten or even betrayed by God? How did God answer your prayers?