What a desolation was wrought in Eden! Would that only our ligaments were twisted and torn, and not the very fabric of our being! Man, by nature, is now detached, defiled, and dead in trespasses and sins. And unless the Lord lifts up his feet and runs to him, he will stay that way. But thanks be to God, he has and he does. And what a lifting up of the feet it is! Who could ever have imagined that he would rescue his people in this astonishing way?

Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations.

The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary.

(Psalm 74:3)

Years ago on a family ski trip my little brother fell and tore the ligaments in his right knee. It was a nasty fall and a nasty injury. When it happened, he let out a cry heard all across the slopes. My father, who had reached the bottom of the hill where we were skiing, heard it too, and instantly turned and headed back up. I can still see my dad, lifting up his skis, climbing the hill as fast as he could. I can still hear his voice, too: “Hold on son, I’m coming!”

That memorable event supplies a powerful picture of our redemption, as does the text before us. Psalm 74 is the cry of one of God’s children, pleading for help because the enemies of the nation have entered the land and are laying waste to God’s inheritance. All is in desolation.

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