I Will Remember...

In my Bible reading I was brought to Psalm 77. The Psalm was timely for where I find myself in life right now.

The Psalm starts with the writer crying out to God. It is clear from the language that he is wrestling with what has transpired in his life.

"You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak" (Psalm 77:4).

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?" (Psalm 77:7).

"Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" (Psalm 77:9).

I don't know what was happening in this writers life, but it was clearly something that was disturbing and heartbreaking. You can hear the agony in the tone. He feels as though perhaps God has forgotten about him.

I know that all of us go through times in our life when we feel like this. A situation happens out of the blue that we did not expect and we are impacted. It can feel like God has forgotten about us. The situation can keep us awake at night in agony. It can cause us to be in turmoil throughout the day. This is a normal part of what it means to be human. It is also a normal part of the journey of following God.

Let's face it. Things happen that we simply do not understand.

The writer articulates the feelings that accompany such unforeseen events and then makes a dynamic pivot in verse 11:

"I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds" (Psalm 77:11-12).

This becomes the theme of the chapter and the solace that the writer takes even in the midst of the unforeseen. He declares that regardless of what is going on, he will remember the things that God has done in the past, he will remember the faithfulness of God, and in this he can take comfort.

This Psalm is timely no matter where you are at in life, but even more so if you are in the midst of uncertainty or trial. It is a Psalm that declares that though the unthinkable might happen, though things might be uncertain, though you cannot see what the future might hold, there is peace and rest in remembering that God has always been faithful and always will be faithful. He has proven himself trustworthy over and over again. There is no reason to doubt him now!

Wherever you find yourself in life right now, may you remember that God has shown himself to be ever faithful. He has not forgotten about you. He sees your situation.

Enjoy the journey, and expect to see God's hand move. And when you feel uncertain or insecure, remember the words that this Psalm writer declared...

I will remember the deeds of the Lord.