I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” (Psalm 77:11-12, NIV)
Several times this year during coverage of the players’ press conferences and in TV interviews, more than one player indicated that one of the keys to playing well at the Masters was the ability to draw on their memories of prior rounds they had played at Augusta. Relying on an accumulated knowledge bank, they were more confident in their play.
When we face challenging situations in our faith journey, we can, like those players at the Masters, draw on our memory banks to rely on God’s work in many areas of our lives. Whether it is his work throughout history as recorded in Scripture, his work in our friends’ and family’s lives, or his work in our own lives, we can be assured that he will be there for us when we need him.
In the first nine verses of Psalm 77, we find the psalmist Asaph in a mess and distressed, discouraged, and in doubt. He is wondering where God is and what is he doing while Asaph is in this mess. Will God ever show his favor again? Has his love vanished forever? Where is his mercy and compassion? These are cries that we too have voiced in times of trouble, tragedy, and temptation.
Asaph took time to contemplate and think about the many miracles God had performed for his people.
By the end of the chapter, Asaph is singing a different tune. He is confident and bold and worshipping God. How did he so quickly get out of the mess he thought he was in? He did two things: He remembered. And he meditated.
He remembered the things God had done for his people, such as the Exodus and the conquest of the promised land. He was emboldened by those memories. They reminded him of God’s power, love, mercy, and faithfulness. The memories changed Asaph’s focus from a “woe is me” attitude to a worshipful acknowledgement of God.
He also meditated on those memories. (Other translations use the words “muse,” “wonder,” and “dwell on” to convey this notion of meditation.) At the very least, Asaph took time to contemplate and think about the many miracles God had performed for his people.
We can follow Asaph’s example when we find ourselves in messes like Asaph faced. First, we need to take time to find a quiet and peaceful place to sit and think—a place that is free from smartphones, texts, emails, noise, interruptions, and other distractions. Then, we need to be still and focus our memory on all the great and wonderful things God has done not only in our lives but in the lives of the people around us and the lives of his people throughout Scripture. As these memories come to us, we can then meditate, ponder, and dwell on all the many powerful and great things God has done. As we do that, our focus will be shifted away from our troubles and woes. We can once again rest in the assurance, as Sara Groves so beautifully sings in the refrain of one of her songs: “He’s always been faithful to me.”
—
Mark “Ole” Olson
May 3, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
Photo by Noah Silliman from StockSnap