Remember the Lord – Linda Boe

Have you ever been puzzled by trials? Discouraged by unanswered prayer? Wondered if God is still interested in your problems? Asked God “are you still there?

If so, you are not unlike Asaph, the writer of Psalm 77 and David’s Chief Musician. He served under David and Solomon. Like many, he believed Solomon had ushered in the promised kingdom. Imagine his grief when Solomon fell into unrighteousness and idolatry! In his disappointment, he did not see God.

He wrote in verses 7- 9:

“Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favorable no more? Is His mercy clean gone forever? Doth His promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?”

Each one of us has been in a place like this, probably many times. A time when we ask, “What happened, Lord? Where are you?” The trials seem unbearable. We know God has been faithful in the past but wonder if we will ever see such faithfulness again. Is it all over? Will we ever know joy again?

The death of a loved one…a serious diagnosis… a deep disappointment… All these things wear down our spirits, but like Asaph, we can be honest with God! We can go to Him with every detail!

After pouring out his heart, in verse 10, Asaph seemed to gain new strength. In a deliberate act of obedience, he declares “BUT I WILL REMEMBER the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.”

What did the psalmist REMEMBER about God? The word “remember” is used often in the Bible. Sometimes I complain that I am losing my memory because I lose keys or forget names, but in the Bible the word “remember” means much more than that, in fact, the Hebrew word for remember includes both remembering and the actions that result from remembering. It means to recall, to remember with favor, and to meditate on. People in the Old Testament built memorials to help them remember, as when Joshua set up twelve memorial stones by the Jordan River to remind the people that God had kept his promise and brought them into the Promised Land. (Joshua 4:7) Remembering was not just a mental exercise, it was a deliberate act and a part of worship.

 What could a psalmist in the days of David and Solomon “remember” about God?

• God’s Word: what God said about Himself through the law and the prophets 
• God’s character: what God had revealed about Himself: his faithfulness, His love, His mercy…
• God’s name: He is Jehovah, the one true God, the majestic and all powerful God, the I AM
• God’s ways: the actions of God he had observed 

As Asaph remembers the Lord in verse 13, he declares “who is so great a God as our God? Thou art the God that does wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.” He rehearsed God’s attributes, name and acts. He went on to recount the history of Israel’s deliverance from slavery.

What do I remember about God when I am beaten down, disappointed and in despair?  I remember that God has always been faithful, not only to those in the Bible but to me personally. I remember that God is good and all powerful. I remember that I can trust Jehovah, the majestic and all powerful God. Unlike Asaph, I remember His faithfulness in sending our Redeemer, Jesus. And when I remember, praise follows!

When trials pound you. When pain floods over you. When grief threatens to drown you. When doubt tries to overtake you, REMEMBER THE LORD! Remember: His Word, His character, His name, His ways. Remember that He will come again! Do it on purpose!