A Spring of Joy

My friend, Natalie, sent this to me today, and it blessed me so much that I asked her if I could share it. Nat is one of my many faithful encouragers, and there was so much sweet truth in this. May we all cling to Him and say, “HOW GOOD IS OUR GOD!”

Psalm 77

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 my soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah

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 mused and my spirit inquired:

7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?

8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
Selah

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so 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.
Selah

16 The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.

17 The clouds poured down water,
the skies 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…

I listened to a sermon by Rob Bell from Mars Hill on this psalm not too long ago. Selah is used in Hebrew as a pause or to denote an end of a thought. It’s a moment where the musician has a time to take a breath, catch a breath and just reflect.

I love the way it’s used in this psalm. Pause. Yes, God is mighty. Pause. No, I can’t do this all myself. Rob’s sermon also talked about the thought pattern. First the author is really struggling. He is being totally vulnerable, totally real. Life stinks. Where is God here? Then the author talks about what he will do so that he will remember the Lord and so that he can take his thoughts captive. But then the author realizes what he’s saying…all this “I will” and “I thought”. Isn’t it more than me? Oh yea, YOU, God, Jesus are what it’s all about…

“You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” How awesome! Sometimes praying is about talking to God. Sometimes praying is about not talking at all. Just reflecting.

Selah.

Sometimes praying is about listening to ourselves and hearing what we’re saying. And sometimes, the best times, are when we remember HOW GOOD IS OUR GOD!

To get more Nat in your life, check our her blog. I’m sure she’d love a visit!