How Might Repentance Change Our Situation?

All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. [Psalm 44.17-21]

I call 'foul' on this Psalm.

1. Bad things do not happen for no reason. Bad things are curses. Curses result from disobedience. Disobedience, although committed by one, may affect thousands - even entire nations. The claim of innocence in this Psalm is simply unfounded.
2. If the Chronological Bible is anywhere close to accurate in its arrangement, then this Psalm is dated at time when Israel was in a terribly wayward idolatrous spiritual condition. There is no way (nationally speaking) that this Psalm speaks for the nation of Israel (although it may in fact speak for a personally pure, but nationally uninformed citizen of Israel).
3. The last part of this passage says, "[God]...surely knows the secrets of every heart." The problem with this is that man does NOT know the secrets of his own heart. How then could he ever claim innocence over himself - let alone over his nation?
4. Psalms are songs. I have no trouble whatsoever in recognizing that songs, just like songs today ("Christian" songs for the sake of this argument), may or may not always be 100% accurate scripturally. Songs are meant to convey a thought or emotion, but may not necessarily be absolutely precise in their presentation of fact. Songs, because they appeal to emotion, often utilize assumptions to achieve their intended emotional effect.
5. In light of these arguments, there is also the distinct possibility that the suffering mentioned in this Psalm was indeed resultant to the sin of another and not the one writing the Psalm (refer to point 1). The suffering here could absolutely be the result of "corporate" sin that the writer could be completely unaware of.

So, I have torn this Psalm apart - what is my conclusion?

There is only one solution to the suffering of man. Repentance. Curses are not random, Curses are indicators of the presence of sin (at least, somewhere). Curses land on individuals and nations. The presence of curses makes invalid any claim of innocence.

How might repentance change our situation?

Repentance is not a bad thing! It is the only way man can come to God (Old Testament or New Testament). In fact, repentance was not nearly so effective in Old Testament times as it is in New Testament times!

For anyone who would argue that God randomly puts bad things on people, I would ask this question: IF God putting bad things in your life is somehow tied to His enormous and incomprehensible love for you, THEN how could you be absolutely certain that His sending you to hell is not an even more enormous gesture of His love?

Father, we have allowed ourselves to become emotional at times when we simply need to repent. Forgive us for ever assuming, and worse, claiming, our own innocence.