Faith by Recalling God's Deeds
During difficult times like the present, many believers struggle with the feeling God is distant. Today, I want to talk about how we can be more confident that God is present in our lives—by deliberately remembering all God has done for us in the past!
We see a great example of this in Psalm 77:11-12:
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your holy deeds.”
The psalmist is praying to God about how he has been striving to overcome significant worries. He has been upset and weary night after night. He's refused to be comforted (77:2). He's been moaning in his spirit (77:3). He's struggled to talk (77:4).
The only remedy he could think of was to intentionally spend time recalling God’s mighty acts in history. God, you spared Noah and his family during the flood. God, you split the Red Sea and delivered your people on dry ground. As the Psalmist began recalling God’s mighty deeds, this likely helped him see his current situation wasn’t different from problems people faced in the past. This encouraged him to persevere. This gave him hope that things would eventually get better.
Throughout the Bible, God’s people seem to suffer from a constant “short-term memory” problem, witnessing God’s miracles one day and grumbling against God the next day. Yet, we too struggle to remember who God is. God blesses you today with incredible acts of provision, encouragement, and other evidence of His faithfulness. However, if we wake up in a bad mood or have a few bad hours in our day, isn’t it easy to forget all of that?
As we face Coronavirus, I don’t want to minimize the real challenges many Christians are facing. However, I also don’t want you to get stuck in depression or anxiety. Instead, let’s follow the example of the psalmist in Psalm 77 and preach to ourselves the truth about who God is.
Let me remind you of a few simple truths:
First, Jesus plainly told us we would have problems. He said, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). This means we shouldn’t be surprised by difficult situations or interpret them as proof that God has abandoned us.
Second, Jesus wants you to intentionally recall God’s faithfulness. Such thinking and recollection doesn’t come automatically, so you will have to choose it. Take time to take a deep breath, pause, and recall God’s faithfulness.
Third, you have the ability to help remind others about God’s faithfulness. That’s what our ministry is hoping to do with these devotionals. If you know someone who is struggling, discouraged, depressed or anxious, are you willing to talk to them about God’s faithfulness? Are you willing to step out and seek ways to encourage and bless someone by pointing them to our faithful God?
Hey! If you’re willing to take a few minutes today to cultivate the habit of recalling God’s faithfulness, I think you will be incredibly encouraged and blessed by the peace that this habit will begin to produce in your life.
God bless!
-Rich Hung