July 31 - Zoom Out

Overview of: Psalms

Today's Reading:
Psalms 74-77

Focus Verses: Psalm 77:6b, 9-13
6b My heart mused and my spirit inquired: - - - 9 Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" 10 Then I thought, "To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High." 11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. 12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. 13 Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

Insight:
God cannot forget to be himself. God would have to forget who he is in order to forget his mercy and compassion. God would, in fact, simply not be God if he forgot himself. God cannot be who he is and, at the same time, contradict who he is.

Asaph mused and wrestled with this puzzle. He looked at the trials and problems he was facing and wondered why God was not intervening. He felt like his cries were not being heard. He felt like God was far off. He wondered, "Has God stopped being God? Has God forgotten who he is?"

As he thought, he appealed to the things God had done in the past. Instead of rejecting God, Asaph wisely rejected his own doubts about God. Through worship and faith, Asaph concluded that God really was holy, good, powerful, and faithful. He recounted all the ways God had been faithful to his people throughout history. He trusted that God really was God and would always be God. He trusted that God would save in the future, just as he had saved in the past.

Response and Action:
My limited view of my trials and circumstances can give a distorted view of God. From my point of view, it can look as though God has lost interest or forgotten to check in on me. It can be tempting to wonder if God has forgotten to be who he claims to be. After all, if he is loving, caring, powerful, merciful, and able to save, where is he?

When I have doubts about God, I'm forced to choose between my fearful perceptions and the testimony of Scripture. I have to decide if I will trust my limited perspective more than I trust the promises of God. Will I reject God, or will I reject my doubts?

When I find myself wondering about God's faithfulness, I will gain perspective by reflecting upon the Scriptures, the testimony of Christians, the history of Israel and the church, and the encouragement of Christian friends today. When I can't see past my circumstances, I will "zoom out" in order to get a broader view. I will trust God to be the good and holy God he has proven himself to be.

O God, I trust you to be faithful and good. I trust you to be YOU. I give thanks to you, for your Name is near. People tell of your wonderful deeds. You choose the appointed time for everything. You judge uprightly. When the earth and all its people quake, it is you who holds its pillars firm. Amen.

New Testament for Today: Matthew 7:24-25
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
In Context: Matthew 7:24-29

Proverb for Today: Prov. 31:9
"Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."

Recommended Reading:
Reflections on the Psalms
by C. S. Lewis