Scripture:
Psalm 77:10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Observation:
This Psalm of David is a comforting reflection in a time of great distress. In the beginning he cries out to the Lord and the Lord is silent. David fears that the Lord is rejecting him forever. The verse does not say that the Lord abandons David; only that David thought the Lord rejected him.
Application:
Our human understanding will not always comprehend God’s ways. The Lord seldom blesses us with what we want, but he often gives us what we need. We think we need the Lord to give us things. Often the Lord only gives us patience. Sometimes it is more important for the Lord to teach us faith. If God gave us everything that we asked for when we ask for it, God would only be our “Genie in a bottle” Instead; God has a different agenda for us. God gives us what he thinks that we need. His priority is His kingdom and making disciples in order to bring glory to God. His priority for us is not our physical pleasures. So here David is not given immediate relief from his trials, just as we are not always given immediate answers to our prayers and petitions. What David does realize is that he should not think of his own distress but he should meditate on God’s mighty past deeds. When we do this, the focus shifts from ourself to the power and glory of God. It is not about us, it is about the majesty of God. When we focus on God’s glory, our own problems and distresses become small. He who is in us is greater than anything of this world. When we focus on God’s glory and all the times that He has saved us, we enter an attitude of gratitude and faith rather than an attitude of selfish doubt. Our focus shifts from our minor problems to the majestic glory of our Savior.
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for reminding me today of what is really important. It is not my petty wants and needs that matter. It is my growth in faith that leads to your glory. Your eternal world is much more important than my things in this world. Just as David took his focus off of himself and put it on Your great deeds, remind me to do this when I doubt your benign influence in my life.