A Word about Memories

Today I want to share a word about memories, as I comment on Psalm 77. This passage reads:

I cried out to God with my voice—to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah

You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.VWill the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah

And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; your arrows also flashed about. The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

INTRODUCTION: 

One of Israel’s major problems was a bad memory. Of course, sometimes our memory isn't as good as it should be either.  

Did you hear about the absent-minded professor who came back from lunch and saw the sign on his door that said “Back in 30 Minutes” and then sat down to wait for himself?

Once, my son came to me for help because had forgotten where he'd put his glasses; he was holding them in his hand!   

Have you ever had an important document that you put in a safe place, but forgot where that was?

A deacon in my home church, who had a lot of “senior moments” once said: “My rememberer is getting bad, and my forgetterer is getting good!”

The Psalmist had a good memory, however.  He remembered some things about his God in times of trouble, and they're things we should remember, too!

THE PSALMIST REMEMBERED PAST CONCERNS;

Popular theology can't handle difficulty. It says that obedient people will always prosper. It says that disobedient people will always suffer. This isn't necessarily true! For example, I know about a young Bible college student  and his wife who were in a stalled car on a railroad crossing and were hit and killed bye a train and also of the members of more than one church youth group who died in a van wreck.  We must remember that righteous people can suffer:

• Abraham, Job, and Daniel in the Old Testament.
• Peter, John, and Paul in the New Testament.
• The thousands of martyrs in the church age.
• Of course, we must not forget Jesus.

Like us, the Psalmist had troubles. We know that many of the Psalms of David express his fear, anguish and doubts. David, who may have influenced this Psalm, was persecuted by Saul, and later by his own son. Regardless, we can look at the text and see doubt, fear, frustration, and agony!

The Psalmist is not alone; we all recently have had troubles!

• Covid-19
• Confusion in society
• Conflict internationally, nationally, locally, and in our homes
• Cash crunch with the shutdown and then the inflation that followed it
• Crime

These are just a few of the things that have bedeviled us in recent years, and are visible evidence of the truth of the Scriptures that tell us:

The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10

Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. Job 14:1

THE PSALMIST REMEMBERED PRESENT COMFORT:

Even in the midst of his sorrow, the Psalmist knew that God was with him. He was like Paul, a man acquainted with troubles, but one who had confidence in God as he taught in I Corinthians 10:13 which says, 

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Our God is the I Am God. He isn't the I Was God, even though He's always been. He also isn't the I Will Be God, even though He holds the future. He Is!  He is for us and with us and in us.

His presence makes all the difference in our lives When He is present, He brings immediate power. This power is available to us now!  Not in the future. We only need to turn to Him, and He will give us comfort. What will He do?

• He will give us His mercy, the ability to endure this imperfect life.
• He might deliver us from our temporal problems.
• He might want to use us to be witnesses in the midst of our troubles like Paul and Silas singing in jail in Philippi.

If we trust Him, we can sing in our difficult times!

THE PSALMIST REMEMBERED FUTURE CONFIDENCE: 

The I Am God is as much a God of tomorrow as He is of today. He is the eternal God; our troubles never will outlast Him. He is the immutable God; His love never changes. He is the redeeming God; His arm will never be shortened. We can rely upon Him for tomorrow the way we can for today.

So, how do we know, or predict what God will do? The same way a hunter locates his prey; we look back and follow His tracks. We can do this best by beginning with His word. Only after looking at His record should we view our own experiences. 

The Psalmist knew God's record:

• He knew how God had created the world.
• He knew how God had worked with the O.T. Patriarchs.
• He knew how God had worked with the Children of Israel.

Because the Psalmist been taught the past, he knew the future.

THE PSALMIST REMEMBERED ETERNAL CHARACTERISTICS:

The Psalmist knew from the Scriptures that our God is Sovereign. A king is sovereign over his nation, but some, like Herod, were subordinate to another king or emperor. Yahweh God is superior to all rulers. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords:

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1

God created this world, and He also sustains it. He owns the world; we are merely His stewards.

The Psalmist also knew from the Scriptures that our God is omnipotent. God is all powerful; there is nothing greater than He! God uses His power to build and create, not to tear down and destroy and He uses His amazing power to bless His people. Again, Paul clearly knew these same things as he wrote on Romans 8:31-38:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In addition, the Psalmist knew from the Scriptures that Our God is omnipresent. In the ancient world, people believed in territorial gods; the gods of the land were not gods of the ocean, etc. For example, the people of Jericho heard of how powerful Yahweh was, and trembled, but only Rahab would bow to Him because He was not their god.

Our God is God everywhere but the most important place that God is, for us at least, is with His people.  Jesus promised never to leave us or forsake us and He sent the Holy Spirit to empower and equip us. Again, as Paul taught in Romans 8,

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Along with these things, the Psalmist knew from the Scriptures that Our God is omniscient. People are not as smart as they think that they are, like the old joke: Those of you who think you know it all really irritate those of us who do . . .

Paul even admitted that sometimes we don’t even know how to pray! God knows all, even the hearts of men as Jesus said in Luke 16, and Proverbs 15:11 says, 

Hell and Destruction are before the Lord; So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.

Finally, the Psalmist knew from the Scriptures that Our God Our God Is Omni-Benevolent. God is love and He cares for His people, and He is the model of a father and a shepherd. He chastens those whom He loves, and He gives them all their needs as well. The 23rd Psalm says this better than almost any other passage of Scripture, 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters; He restores my soul.  He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Conclusion:

If we are going to have any taste of the abundant life that Christ promised us on this earth, we need to follow the lead of the Psalmist. When we are forced to remember the troubles of this life, let us also remember the love, power, and presence of our God, who is our Present Help in times of trouble. If we turn to Him, armed with the Word and empowered by His Spirit, we can triumph over our troubles! 

Every blessing, 

Dr. Otis Corbitt