Psalm 78:42 “They did not remember His power, the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.”
Observation: Psalm 78 is a comprehensive recounting of the Israelites’ journey, the miraculous provisions of God, and of their continual rebellion and unfaithfulness. In the midst of this long psalm, we see a summary statement in verse 42: “They did not remember His power; the day when He redeemed them from the adversary.”
Application: It is so easy, so natural, for me to adopt the unspoken attitude, “What have You done for me lately, Lord?” Job’s friend Eliphaz taunted Job by saying, “Nor does trouble sprout from the ground” (Job 5:6), suggesting that if Job was suffering it was surely deserved. Job’s life must have seemed like one of those children’s pound toys, where you hit a post with a hammer and as it goes down, another pops up somewhere else.
But doesn’t my life seem like that too? Many times it seems like I live in the most fertile weed patch of trouble on earth! But the key to having faith today is to remember past deliverance. And have I not already experienced the greatest deliverance of all? The psalmist said that God had redeemed them from their adversary. Has He not similarly redeemed me from my adversary, Satan, who roams the earth seeking to destroy me? The Lord has redeemed me from the eternal death I lived in since birth.
All my subsequent troubles are mere child’s play easily handled by Him, yet intimidating as I survey their breadth. They loom large in my vision because they are today’s crop of weeds, but they are nothing to Him. My role in today’s battle is to do the one thing that is most unnatural: remember. Remember His past redemption. Remember His faithfulness and His unchanging commitment to me. Then, in remembering, simply stand in faith to see how He defeats the current adversary.
God is not caught napping as new troubles sprout; He is constantly vigilant on my behalf. My part is to remember, to savor, His incomparable redemption. And when I do, my heart wants to shout: “Go God!”
Prayer: Father God, when I fix my gaze upon Your dear Son, all my troubles fade into insignificance. Thank You for changing my future, Lord, for redeeming me from the pit of destruction. Remembering that You have already done the hardest thing of all reminds me that today’s battle belongs to You. How I praise You for Your commitment to war in my behalf. I choose to rest contented in You.