WHEN IT'S GOOD TO HAVE A RECORD

Today I read Psalm 77. I found it a beautiful reminder to the well known verse in Philippians 4:8. Here, we are called to think on what is true or truth. The author in Psalm 77 has been through something tragic. It's obvious. When someone writes about crying out loud to God and stretching forth his hand all night long, and still his soul is not comforted, you have to wonder what in the world happened to this guy. He is stuck in some sort of sorrow, sadness, or maybe just a spiritual funk as many of us can probably relate. I have to notice though, that he is wrestling it out with God instead of keeping it all inside. That's the first step. Sometimes it's the hardest step, for it feels like a jump across the Grand Canyon to speak out loud those first prayers after a drought with the Lord. I know, I've been there. Sometimes it feels almost awkward. But, our author of Psalm 77 is doing it. In the beginning of his Psalm, we can feel the reality of his own emotion. The desperation and despair. In verse three he says just the thought of God makes him moan. Have you ever? You're in a dusty spiritual drought and some little miss sunshine is over there holding her Bible going on and on about how "the Lord has just blessed us". (I picture her having a southern accent for some reason). And literally, you can almost feel the vomit rising in your throat. Is it just me or have you ever been there too? Maybe you lost something precious. A child. A marriage. A carefully laid out plan. Every human will lose. I think every human will find themselves at some time wallowing in despair. I heard someone once say about depression, just don't stay too long or go too deep. If you know anything of the name of Jesus, you have a reason to begin the swim out of the spiritual funk. Our Psalmist did this too. After asking God, out loud I'm sure, if his goodness, favor, promises, and care will cease, he finally does it. One little phrase changes His entire perspective. In verse 10 he says, "I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High." In one split second, his focus shifts from his sorrow, from himself, from his fears of abandonment to a very impressive record. A most beautiful thing begins to occur in this moment. He describes his conformity of will. How? By remembering the truth. He writes about remembering, pondering, meditating. He is thinking about the truth! What truth? The truth of the history of the works of the Most High. His deeds. His wonders. His workmanship. His holiness! I love this part. He remembers that God is holy, which means he is different or set apart from other gods and from our own mentality. So when we think something should or will go a certain way, and it doesn't, why are we surprised? God's way is different than ours. His way and he himself is holy. That is what makes him worth loving. That is what makes him worth following. That is what makes him worthy! Even most great leaders of old were nonconformists. It's in our nature to follow greatness. Unfortunately, it's also our nature to forget greatness. That's why we need to often, out loud, speak of the greatness of God. I'm sure when the Psalmist wrote, "what God is great like our God?", instantly God became brilliant, while all else seemed dull in comparison. Next he remembers God's reputation of being made known among the peoples. See God had a reputation among those who were not even his followers. In verse 15, God is a redeemer. If you have been rescued and placed in the family of God, you have at least one truth to hold fast to that can loosen you out of any swamp. The truth of redemption. What a sweet story. In verses 16-19, we see a stream of God's power running over infecting all places of the earth. We hear of his many great assists to the Israelites, and the writer cleverly announces, "yet your footprints were unseen". Huh? What's that all about? Why the spooky ghostlike description? It reminded me God is a vast mystery. And he should be, because it always keeps of lingering around trying to figure him out. Like a lover obsesses over, studies and watches his love to best win her heart. We will always be in awe of him. We will always be required to live with at least a mustard seed of faith, even when we feel like we have him mostly figured out. Finally, the Psalmist remembers God as a shepherd leading his flock. Dear Jesus followers, even when it feels like the shepherd has left you on the edge of a barren mountain-side, try your hardest to cry out to Him. And then when you find yourself not know what else to say, speak of his amazing record. His might in creating the galaxies. His gentleness in caring for the lilies. And his love in sending us a redeemer.