Enduring Hope, An LGG Study / Week 2 Hope In GOd’s Character
Today’s Reading /Psalm 77 / SOAP Psalm 77:9-13
Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has his anger stifled his compassion?” (Selah)
Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
Psalm 77:10-13 NET
that the Most High might become inactive.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13 O God, your deeds are extraordinary.
Note the ‘I wills’ of this Psalm. These are important resolves of the believer’s life and crucial to winning the battles of lies and doubts.
While God will never leave us or forsake us, there may be times when it seems that He has. It is in these times we must resolve to REMEMBER the works of His hands. If we don’t act quickly the enemy will gain a foothold with fiery darts of lies and doubt. I truly believe God-directed praise is an assault weapon against our enemy,(2 Chronicles 20:22), both in the physical and spiritual realms. For this reason, we must stop and give God praise – and remember His great faithfulness! We must count our blessings – the things God has done for us. I have found it truly helps, as the old hymn says, to “name the blessings one-by-one”. As I do this, I find myself – not only standing in awe of what God has done but I also notice that the enemy is silenced as my focus is redirected from the fears, concerns, and temptations of this world toward God.
Whether it is the enemy or the situations of our lives we must be careful not to allow them to distract us from the truths and blessings of God.
Me from the Inside out
A Comparison
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude10 And I said, “This is my fate;
the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.13 O God, your ways are holy.
Psalm 77:9-13 NLT
Is there any god as mighty as you?
I wanted to make sure that I was correct in my understanding of the phrase, “I am sickened by the thought that the Most High might become inactive.” So, I checked out the passage in the NLT translation and I decided to share the comparison because I think it best describes the ‘fiery darts’ of lies and doubt and why we may fall prey to the enemy. You see, when we buy the lie that God treats us as we deserve we forget that “His compassions are new every morning and His faithfulness is great”, (Lamentations 3:19-24). We forget or bury the truth that we do deserve such “a fate” – but in His great mercy He saved us and does not treat us as we deserve! Psalm 103:10-14. Both translations of Psalm 77: 9-13 make it equally clear that our response to the thought or feeling that God has somehow turned against us or become inactive in our lives must be to fix our thoughts on God, to remember who He is, what He’s done, what He has said, and what He desires. Only when we do this will we have the hope of standing against the lies of the enemy.