This psalm complains that God has all but forgotten the very people God had elected and redeemed. The evidence for this is that both Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed. Clearly, this Psalm laments the exile brought about by the Babylonian military. Not only has the temple been destroyed; it has been desecrated. How can God stand to allow non-Israelites have the run of the place? Typically, we moderns may lament individual circumstances—illness, economic reverses, tough times, death etc.—but seldom lament as a community. Might this psalm teach us a different way to pray?
