Verses 1-11
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Asaph cries out to God during a time of greater oppression from enemies of Israel. During oppressive times, it can become easy to feel like God neglecting His own people. But God will always remember His promises to us, and He will not forsake the people for whom He sent His own Son to suffer and die.
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Verse 8. Right now and more so in times to come, the “meeting places” of Christians will be destroyed. And as in times past, the destruction of temples tests the faith of those who frequent them. Many will fall away. Don't attach your faith to a physical place. Learn to follow Christ without the need for physical infrastructure, and this will help to keep your faith from perishing, if destructions come in your lifetime.
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Verse 9. In other times, we will not know when certain hardships will end—God won't always give us an answer. Remind yourself that these times are good to grow your patience.
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Christ went through so much to demonstrate His love for us and to guarantee our salvation. So of course, God will not forsake or neglect us now. Don't let hard times cause you to forget about all that Christ has done for you!
Verses 12-17
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Keep in mind that God has done and continues to do many great things for us. His works of salvation are innumerable.
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The way that God directs the seasons, the earth, the sea, the sun and the moon, day and night...all these demonstrate His faithfulness to us. Don't forget this.
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There are even great creatures in the sea that God has restrained and at times destroyed, for the preservation of His people.
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Leviathan is a real creature that exists in great depths of sea. It cannot be overcome by man, but only by God (Job 41).
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This demonstrates that even the greatest of threats to man are easily overcome by the living God. Think of how many times God has protected us from death or harm while we were totally unaware. How many Leviathans—threats too great for us to handle—have been defeated behind the scenes? Again, don't let the dangers in front of you cause you to forget all that God does for you every moment of every day.
Verses 18-23
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We are like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16), or “turtledoves among wild beasts”. Alone, we are frail and weak. But God loves us and saves us still. He acts for His own name. This means that He saves us not because we are worthy of saving, but simply to defend the honor of His own name before those who slander Him. So pray for God to be glorified in everything.