Psalm 74:1 “O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture? 2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast purchased of old; the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed; this mount Zion, wherein thou hast dwelt.”
The Lord our God is Omnipotent and Omniscient, He is all powerful and He knows everything. Thus, the word “Remember” does not imply that He had forgotten His “congregation”; but, in this context, to “Remember” is to act upon His memory (knowledge) of them. The Psalmist is praying that the Lord God Almighty would rush to the aide of His “congregation”; for, because of their sin and rebellion, they had been “cast … off” from the mercies of God and were withering in misery under His smoking “anger”. The word, “congregation” means ‘those assembled’, much like the New Testament word, “Church”. The “congregation of Israel” (Exodus 12:3), had been called out of the world to worshipfully serve the Lord and to be the obvious recipients of His love and provision and protection in this present life. The “congregation of Israel” was a practical-prophecy of the coming New Testament “church of God … them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” them that “call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:2). Let us earnestly pray and “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” (Romans 11:21)!