Slices
Prepare
Sunday: the Lord’s Day – the day to celebrate resurrection and new life. Pause and give thanks for your new life in Jesus. Ask for a fresh infusion of resurrection life at the start of this new week.
Bible passage
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 ‘Will the Lord reject for ever?
Will he never show his favour again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished for ever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?’
10 Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.’
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Explore
The honest heart-cries of the psalmist reveal his deep misery (vs 1–6). Things were not as he imagined they should be, nor as they once were (v 5). His heart-pain is so real to our own experience, when loss strikes, and when God seems to have abandoned us (v 7).
The psalmist wrestles with the mystery of an apparently indifferent God, or worse, a God whose fundamental character has changed (vs 8,9). Such honest thoughts – and how wonderful that God has preserved them in our Scriptures, giving us a voice for our own inner wrestling in times of distress.
Yet, confusing mystery is not where God is found. Our God is God of concrete history. For the psalmist the events of the Exodus (vs 16–20) prove beyond doubt that God is on the side of his people. For Christians, it is the cross of Jesus that is our historical proof that, even in the mystery of misery, the loving God is still with us (Romans 8:31,32; 1 John 3:16).
Respond
Do you feel able to be transparent and honest with God when you’re full of pain and doubt? Let the Psalms inspire you to believe that God can handle the rawness of human experience. Transform your prayer life: get real with God!
Deeper Bible study
‘The thoughtful believer recalls God’s faithfulness in the past when confronted by any new threat. Part of spiritual maturity is a strong sense of one’s own history.’1
Here is a comforting reflection in a time of distress. Asaph is in anguish, beyond comfort; he even doubts in God’s goodness and faithfulness (vs 7–9). This is a crisis of faith and hope, a situation that all of us can relate to from time to time. However, the song turns in verse 10, as Asaph begins to recall God’s past faithfulness. The psalm then becomes a litany of God’s mighty acts in the Exodus, culminating in the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, which continually reminded the Israelites of God’s power, protection and love.
In periods of crisis it can be difficult to see a way through. At times this becomes so intense that we even doubt God’s good character – and the psalms certainly give permission for this kind of questioning. In times such as this, the most powerful thing we can do is to recount God’s goodness and faithfulness to us, just as Asaph does. What we cannot see in the future, we can often see clearly in the past. We begin to remember that God has rescued us and provided for us before and we can be confident that he will do so again. He is the same unchangingly faithful God, no matter what our emotions are telling us.
Memories of God’s miracles and faithfulness sustained Israel through their painful difficulties. In the same way, recalling God’s previous works can give us courage to continue on our own journey. We are reminded that God is totally capable and totally trustworthy. In the midst of a trial, keep intentionally reviewing how good God has been to you. This will strengthen your faith.
What specific testimonies of God’s goodness do you carry with you? Remind yourself of these stories of grace and provision. And if you are in a particularly dark time right now, be honest with God and choose to meditate on the truths about God that these stories speak about, allowing him to strengthen and sustain you.
1 Max Anders, b 1947
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 20,21; 1 Peter 2
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God for the wonder of his creation, and for helping us to understand and appreciate its incredible complexity and diversity through science.
