Walking in Faith

God’s word has been passed down from generation to generation. Luckily, we now have a Bible (or many bibles) to read God’s Word. The compilation has God’s Word before and after Jesus Christ. The author of this Psalm didn’t have all of this information — he may have had some Old Testament writings. However, the stories (books) were passed on through the generations. God’s Word cannot be contained.

God performed many miraculous signs for the people but they did not follow Him.  They might have believed for a period of time, but they didn’t stay obedient.  The Israelites experienced God parting the Red Sea, raining manna from heaven, etc. and yet they complained about their comfort (travels, desert, etc.)  People today are no different.  We take everything for granted.  We think we deserve more than what we have.  When things aren’t perfect, we don’t thank God for what we do have, we are bitter that someone else has more.  Our inability to worship the Lord and have Him be at the center of our greatest desire results in our lack of focus and prioritization.  Instead of putting Him first in our life, we spend time watching TV, drinking, playing games, etc.

Impact verses:

32 In spite of all this, they still sinned;
despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath,
and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate,
atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.

We stumble and fall.  We get back up.  We stumble again.  We are persistent if nothing else.  Our God, who gave us wonders and might, mercy and love, continues to love us and provide for us even though we do nothing to deserve it.  Quite often, it is only when we are hurting or struggling that we call out to God.  We call out looking for help.  We call out looking for a quick remedy because we suddenly have the faith in the Lord and His powers.  If He can heal wounds, if He can mend the broken hearted, why aren’t we calling out to Him when things aren’t tough?  Comfort.  When things aren’t tough, we are comfortable.  We are “appeased”.  We are pleased with our own success and capabilities.  We don’t need Him.  We have it all under control.  Right?

There is nothing too big for God.  We can bring any and all problems to Him.  Right now, my family is going through some hard times, but we know that we can rely on God.  He is at work and we must trust in Him.  We love each other but we cannot trust in each other as we will fail.  God is sure and perfect.  We are all together evil.  The author of Psalm 77 was struggling with troubles.  He questioned the Lord.  He questioned (apparently rhetorically) if God had stopped loving and being compassionate.  Obviously, the author quickly realized that this is not the character of the Lord.  His ways are eternal.  He remembers:

Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God? (Psalm 77:13 ESV)

There is no other god like our God.  We may put our false gods above Him but there is none like Him.  In our sinful nature, we lift up our false idols before Him.  We prioritize our personal gods over Him.  Why?  It is obvious our sin nature, but why!  Personally, it is all about comfort and pleasure.  Talking to the Lord isn’t always pleasurable — sometimes it really hurts.  I also know that when I go before the Lord there will be things that I don’t really want to think about come up.  I realize how useless I can be and how little I am doing to truly further His kingdom!  However, God is gracious and great!  He also reminds me that I am His child and that He will love me for eternity.  He will provide for me and protect me.  He loves me so much He sent His only son to earth, to die for my sins!  There is no greater gift — one that is not deserved and yet given so freely.  Like the author of the Psalm, I long to meditate on the Lord that works miracles in people’s lives.  I long to chase after the God that calls forth the thunder, the lightning and the seas.  Praise the Lord for His greatness — none of us can even fathom!

The fear of the Lord really stands out to me in this Psalm. I think it would be greatly beneficial to me (and surely others) to do a study on the fear of the Lord.

In the first couple of verses, the author talks of Judah, Israel, Salem and Zion. Jerusalem was in the region of Judah.  Israel was north of Judah but full of Jews and God-loving people.  Salem was referenced as the place where Melchizedek was king and is commonly believed to be another name for Jerusalem.  Zion is used to denote Jerusalem, God’s chosen Israel or the heavenly city.  What strikes me is that Judah and Israel were the beginning lands where God chose His people and begin to teach them of His ways.  Salem and Zion are referenced as more spiritual places before the earth begin and after the earth ends  (Melchizedek is thought by some as Christ in the Old Testament, where he is referenced as the king of Jerusalem and Zion is a future Jerusalem).

God is simply amazing in that He allows us to live on an earth that He created.  He allows us to be His instruments for His purpose.  Our lives become used by the Spirit to increase the fame and the name of our great and glorious Lord!

The psalmist begins by speaking of the wickedness of those that worshipped false idols.  He speaks of them with contempt and a hint of envy.  He makes it seem like he is a bit envious that they don’t have the same hard life as those who follow the true God.  They have no pangs (a sudden and sharp pain or emotional distress) until death, they are not stricken like the rest of mankind.  Then, he notes that God changed his views.  Once he went into the sanctuary of God and meditated upon God’s truths, he realized their end — eternal ruin.  Everything sudden came into perspective and his entire tone changes — he moves from complaining about the disobedient to the hope and glory of those who are obedient.  It is here that the psalm really starts to hit me…

23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.

The psalmist uses the word continually here to describe how often he is with God.  This is another great perspective to consider.  We will be with God forever!  He will hold our right hand, just like a father who holds the hand of his boy as he walks him into school.  This is the sort of visual I get when I think about God holding my hand forever.  He will not let go.  He loves me with a love that I cannot even come close to comprehend.  Praise God for His undying love for me!

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

There is no one in heaven that matters to me nearly as much as God.  He is the only one in heaven that matters.  His angels, the heavenly hosts, will care for me but God instructs me.  He is the only one in heaven for me.  On top of that, there is no one on earth that I desire more than God.  This is saying very clearly that no one should matter as much to me (or you) as much as God!  We take for granted His love and caring for us, but He should be the center of our greatest desire (should I link to John Piper now or later? )    While my flesh and my heart will fail me, I know that God will never fail me.  He is my strength, my rock, my provider.  He is the one that holds me up when I am falling.  He is the one who helps me up if I fall.  He is the one who is there no matter what I do or say.  He is the one that will carry me and love me forever!  God is unbelievable!  He is more deserving than all of the praise I could ever give to Him.

I take this Psalm to be the final Psalm written by David and the one in which he exclaims his prayers to the Lord for Solomon to take on the role of king.  There is also prophecy of the coming Christ in this Psalm.

The Lord God is to be feared.  David accurately states that God should be feared “…while the sun endures, and as long as the moon…”  If a Christian truly fears the Lord, their actions will be impacted.  If I live my life every single day in fear of the Lord, I fear that His righteous judgment will send me to an eternal place of hell.  I fear that I will be judged for my sins.  I fear that He knows everything about me and there are no secrets.  These are scary things.  The fear is squelched by the hope He gives us in Christ Jesus.  However, we are still given commandments and precepts.  I am still to live in the way that Christ lived.  If I am straying from that, I am living in disobedience to the Lord.  There will be consequences for that (crowns in heaven is something I have never understand — I would love it if someone emailed me or commented on something around this topic!).  I need to have a healthy fear of the Lord — recognizing my insignificance as compared to His.

Psalm 72:18-19 states:

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!

God alone does wondrous things.  Why does David add the word alone in that statement?  Why not just God does wondrous things?  I know I harp on this too much for some, but I can do nothing good without the love of God and His assistance.  It will most certainly be through the power of the Spirit, thankfully!  He is able to accomplish great things.  I am able to accomplish great sins.  That is the concrete difference and why I have to keep everything in perspective when I worship and praise God and when I become prideful for any reason.