desolation comes in when God’s people do not properly appreciate and exalt Christ

This week we are continuing to get into the Psalms – the Crystallization Study of Psalms, part two, from Psalm 74 onwards. Book 2 of the Psalms ends so positively, and we would expect that everything is fine with the people of God – but in Psalm 74 we see that the house of God is desolated.

What has happened in the meantime, why is God’s house desolate, and why is the city of God in ruins?

The desolation of God’s house was caused by the people of God not appreciating Christ and not giving Him the preeminence in all things. Desolation creeps in whenever we don’t give Christ the first place.

The cause of the desolation of God’s house

In Psalm 74 we see that the temple – God’s house – was desolated to such an extent that it was burned (Psa. 74:7-8), and the city surrounding the temple was ruined (2 Chron. 36:19).

What is the reason for the desolation of God’s house? Apparently, it is because the people of Israel were evil and sinful, and they didn’t obey God’s commandments.

But actually, the intrinsic reason for the desolation was that Christ was not exalted and properly appreciated by God’s people – they didn’t give Christ the first place, the best love, the preeminence in all things.

Our failure to give Christ the first place in all things – our failure to love Him with the best love and appreciate Him – brings in desolation and degradation.

The problem of desolation can be solved by Christ being appreciated and exalted by God’s people (see Psa. 80:17).

When Christ is enjoyed, appreciated, given the first place, given the preeminence in all things – when He is properly appreciated and exalted, the house and the city of God can be maintained, preserved, and built up!

Our not giving Christ the preeminence and our not appreciating Him is the cause of our failure and desolation.

The need to properly appreciate and exalt Christ

This principle applies to us also today in the church life – if we as believers in Christ do not love Christ with our first love, giving Him the preeminence in all things and the first place in our life, the church will become desolate and the house of God is not being built up.

We should never neglect our experience of Christ but learn to properly appreciate and enjoy Him, exalt Him and give Him the first place in all things.

The church in Ephesus was rebuked by the Lord in Rev. 2:4 for leaving their first love – the cause of degradation and desolation is leaving our first and best love for the Lord.

We need to properly appreciate and exalt Christ, give Him the preeminence, exalt Him to the uttermost, and love Him with our best love – and we will have a genuine revival in the church life!

What does it mean to give the Lord the preeminence in our life? As we have shared before, it means to love Him with the first love (Rev. 2:4), repent and do the first works (Rev. 2:5), take Him as the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13), eat Him as the tree of life (Rev. 2:7), continually contact Him, receive Him, and enjoy Him (Isa. 57:20), walk worthily of Him to please Him in all things (2 Cor. 5:9), hold Christ as the Head (Col. 2:19), etc.

Praying for God’s interest and based on His covenant

When the psalmist saw the situation of God’s house and the city of God, he desperately prayed to God!

The psalmist prayed not for his own interest or for the people of God’s interest, but he prayed for God’s interest and for His covenant. He cried out to God for God’s interest according to His power, and he reminded God about His covenant (Psa. 74:13-20).

The best way to pray to God when we see degradation or desolation coming into the church life is by praying for God’s interest, reminding God about His covenant. I really enjoyed this quote from the life-study of the Psalms by brother Lee,

“The psalmist’s prayer here is an example of the best kind of prayer—the prayer that is for God’s interest, that is according to God’s power, and that is based upon God’s faithfulness to His covenant. We all need to learn to pray in this way. I believe that God heard this prayer of the psalmist and answered it, for eventually He came in to restore the ruined sanctuary.”

O, Lord, save us from leaving You as our first love! May we never stop appreciating You, enjoying You, and properly exalting You. We give You the first place in our life. Have the preeminence in us, Lord. Have the first place in all things. We simply want to hold You as the Head, giving You the first place. Save us from any degradation. Save the church from any degradation! Remember Your covenant and Your interest!

References and Further Reading

• Sharing inspired from portions in the Life-Study of Psalms, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Psalms (2), week 13.
• Recommended reading: what does it mean to give Christ the first place in all things?
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Lord Jesus, I love You! / I give You the preeminence in what I do. / Enjoying You is the overcoming way. / Thank You for Your recovery; Your Word we will obey.
  # I give You the first place in all things by faith. / Let nothing take Your place in all my heart. / Infuse me with Yourself abundantly / ‘Til we meet, dear Lord. / I’ll love You with the best love.
  # Recover my heart, / Rekindle my love for You. / Fill me with love / Eternally, ever new. / Make me wholly Thine.
• Picture source: wikipedia, beautiful sunset.