Psalm 74

Read Psalm 74 ESV

Who - Asaph speaking to the LORD.

What - A lament to the LORD for the great calamity that has happened to Israel.  The temple has been burned and destroyed and people who do not worship the LORD rule the land.  The psalmist pleads with the LORD to come and act for the good of Israel and the LORD’S own name.  

When - No specific time stated, but the Babylonian exile and conquest is the only time that makes sense.  

Where - Unstated, but either Jerusalem our Babylon.  

Why - The Babylonians have overrun Israel, taken away the people and destroyed the Temple.  The psalmist pleads to the LORD for relief and help.  

How - The opening stanza declares the fate of the temple and asks the LORD to intervene.  

The second stanza gives more details of how the enemies have profaned God's Holy Temple.  

The third stanza is the psalmist’s lament of why and how long the LORD will allow this to occur.  He explains the plight and anguish of the people.  

The fourth stanza is a pivot.  The psalmist turns to his hope in the LORD by declaring Him as their Savior.  The psalmist recounts the LORD’S many miracles and deliverance as well as declares the LORD'S omnipotence.  

The fifth, sixth and seventh stances are the psalmist’s plea for the LORD to act by remembering the profanity and cruelty of their enemy.  

So What 

1. We may not face an invading army from another land, but we know the oppression from the God-haters in our culture who wish to silence and eradicate us from the public square.  We feel the same as the psalmist here even though the experience is different.  
2. When the long dark periods of our lives drag on and our pleas to the LORD for relief go unanswered, we can honestly cry to Him, “How long oh LORD!”  The LORD does want to hear our desperation and cries to Him.  We can and should express these feelings and questions to Him.  Asking “Why?” is very good as long as we ask it in an attitude of “I don’t understand why this happening, or for what purpose you have.”  What we must avoid is the attitude of  “I thought you loved me.  If you do, you wouldn’t let this happen to me.”  The former is an honest attempt to understand the mind of God.  The latter is falsely accusing the LORD of wrong doing and injustice.  
3. When the LORD’S deliverance is long in coming, we should recall His many deliverances of us and those in Scripture to encourage us and give us hope.  Doing this reminds us He is able to deliver and the reasons He delivers.  Knowing this gives us the hope we need to persevere through the struggle.