PSALM 77:7–9 – “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah”

Today’s scripture comes from a very moving Psalm. It was penned by a godly man named Asaph.  Some Bibles place headings before the Psalms giving us a theme or setting of the writing.  This Psalm is titled “In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord.”   And each us may nod our heads in agreement.  Life is full of troubles and hopefully we are meeting them as Asaph did – taking our troubles to the Lord.

The Psalm opens up with a cry for help and confidence God will be the Psalmist’s help.  But it also contains the conflict in the heart of every Christian.  Here is the battle scene – I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah (Psalm 77:1-3). Now don’t be quick to say, “I am not like this. I don’t struggle in spiritual life with such unbecoming thoughts of God. I don’t moan when I think of Him.  Nor do I find myself spiritually fainting because I refuse God’s comfort.”   If that is you, with all due respect, you don’t understand the conflict in your own heart or the reality of the spiritual foes attacking you.  This is a godly man, and he knows quite well by experience the potential for blasphemous thoughts from his heart as well as the fiery darts from the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).  Yet the Psalmist fights and he does so in verses seven through thirteen by asking questions and appealing to the works of God.  In the questions, we find the answers so encouraging.  They are not provided for us in this Psalm but are clearly taught in the scriptures which Asaph would know and rely upon.

As we fight the spiritual battles in our hearts, remind ourselves often of the common answer to the questions Asaph asks himself.  The answers are the armor to defeat our spiritual foes and bring our hearts aligned with God’s truth.  Here are the questions and common answers.

First, will the Lord spurn and never be favorable? NEVER.  Next, has His steadfast love forever ceased? NEVER. Are His promises at an end for all time? NEVER. Has God forgotten to be gracious? NEVER.  Has He in His anger shut up compassion? NEVER.

So, in the midst of the heart troubles we face, let’s rest in the God who never will  – never will be unfavorable to us, never will stop loving us, never will go back on His promises to us, never will be unkind to us, and never will keep His compassion from us.  Never, no never!

PRAYER: “Father, thank You that You are unchanging in Your thoughts and dealings with me!”

QUOTE: “God will never stop loving us and never leave His promises unfulfilled to us.”