June 7 - Psalms 77-79
What should you do when you go through a very difficult time of life? Should you focus on the problem and think about how God does not seem to be answering your prayers for deliverance at that moment? Should you just get more discouraged and depressed because you do not see any hope for things to get better? I don't think so. When you are in a time of trial or a dry time in your life, when you are having a hard time hearing from the Lord or seeing Him work, you should remember all of His past blessings and actions in your life. You should feed your faith instead of your doubts. This is exactly what the psalmist says in Psalm 77. It is not wishful thinking. It is reality thinking. Refresh your mind and your spirit by calling to mind the reality of God in your life, and renew your faith in His goodness, even when things seem to be going badly.
Psalm 78 is a recounting of the history of the Hebrew people. It is an honest evaluation given for the purpose of teaching the next generation. What happens if we forget our history? If we don't know where we have come from, we can't really see where God wants us to go. If we don't learn from the mistakes, we will repeat them. Teaching our children history is very important, especially when it comes to passing on the faith. The psalmist does not sugar coat the story. He leaves in the sin and trials, but he points to the fact that God is always working among His people. He reminds the future generation that they must decide to follow the Lord themselves. God could bring them from the depth of the times of the Judges to the heights of the reign of David. It all depended on their obedience, and it all depends on our obedience today.
Finally, Psalm 79 is a sad reminder of the results of disobedience. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, and the enemies were in control. How long would this last? Why was God not turning against the enemies? The psalmist comes around to the fact that God is the shepherd and Israel is the sheep. God knows what is best, so the must praise Him through it all. This is true for all of us who know the Lord. We can trust Him to take care of us, if we will listen to Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 80-83.
Psalm 78 is a recounting of the history of the Hebrew people. It is an honest evaluation given for the purpose of teaching the next generation. What happens if we forget our history? If we don't know where we have come from, we can't really see where God wants us to go. If we don't learn from the mistakes, we will repeat them. Teaching our children history is very important, especially when it comes to passing on the faith. The psalmist does not sugar coat the story. He leaves in the sin and trials, but he points to the fact that God is always working among His people. He reminds the future generation that they must decide to follow the Lord themselves. God could bring them from the depth of the times of the Judges to the heights of the reign of David. It all depended on their obedience, and it all depends on our obedience today.
Finally, Psalm 79 is a sad reminder of the results of disobedience. Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, and the enemies were in control. How long would this last? Why was God not turning against the enemies? The psalmist comes around to the fact that God is the shepherd and Israel is the sheep. God knows what is best, so the must praise Him through it all. This is true for all of us who know the Lord. We can trust Him to take care of us, if we will listen to Him.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 80-83.