July 29, 2009

WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE TO THINK ABOUT?

Psalm 77

Nikkie Milner
Wednesday's Devo

July 29, 2009

Wednesday's Devo

July 29, 2009

Central Truth

Remembering God's miracles and mighty deeds from the past helps us strengthen our faith.

Key Verse | Psalm 77:11

I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago!
(Psalm 77:11)

Psalm 77

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
I said, 1 77:6 Hebrew lacks I said “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
“Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

10  Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 2 77:10 Or This is my grief: that the right hand of the Most High has changed

11  I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12  I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13  Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14  You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15  You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

16  When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17  The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18  The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19  Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen. 3 77:19 Hebrew unknown
20  You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Footnotes

[1] 77:6 Hebrew lacks I said
[2] 77:10 Or This is my grief: that the right hand of the Most High has changed
[3] 77:19 Hebrew unknown

Dive Deeper | Psalm 77

What struck me most about this psalm is the sudden shift in thought after verse nine. The first half of the psalm conveys such sadness and distress, but then the mood quickly changes to praise and adoration in verse ten. Asaph made a conscious choice to remember all the Lord's miracles and mighty deeds from the past to help strengthen his faith.

I know that I find myself turning to God most often when I am going through a rough time. In those hard moments I know that I don't have enough strength on my own to get though. I need God's help, and no matter how far away He feels at the time, I know He's there. I know He hasn't abandoned me. 

One way I remind myself that God hasn't left me is to think about times He's helped me in the past, just like Asaph. For example, I chaperoned a trip overseas for two weeks. While I loved everything we did, I felt completely alone and isolated even though we were a group of about fifty people. What was amazing, though, was how close I felt to the Lord. I was constantly praying and reading Psalms as a reminder of God's wonderful deeds. It really helped me deal with the loneliness until the end of the trip.

God's reliability during that trip gives me one more example of His faithfulness in the midst of my current struggles, and it gives me the strength I need to walk through them.

"The Lord supports all who fall, and lifts up all who are bent over." (Psalm 145:14)

Discussion Questions

1. What's one time in your life in which you could see God's faithfulness?

2. What is one verse you can memorize and meditate on to help you remember God's great works?

3. What steps can you take to begin to think about excellent or praiseworthy things amidst hardship?