As I have mentioned before, Asaph was a lead musician in the court of David. But I am not convinced that he was the only man ever named Asaph, nor the only musician in Israel.
Psalm 74 could not have been written during the days of David. Nor, I’m convinced, during the early temple days of Solomon. Instead, it likely belongs to the days of the Babylonian captivity. The temple has been destroyed, and the presence of God appears, at least to the psalmist, to have disappeared from Israel. The writer says: “We are given no miraculous signs; no prophets are left and none of us knows how long this will be” (vs. 9).
There is some frustration, and perhaps anger, in the psalmist as he urges God to get his hands out of his pockets (see verse 11) and do something to rescue His people.
It’s bold talk to address the creator of day and night that way, and yet, it is essential talk, for it truthfully speaks the depth of his heart to God.
And that’s what God wants.
As long as a person is talking to God, it’s a good sign he’s still walking with God, and the Psalmist, for all his hurt feelings, still evidences his great trust in God’s ability to rescue, and His desire to do so. No matter how tough things get, may our prayers always exhibit the same sentiment – even if we have to use the same words.