I WON'T COMPLAIN

SCRIPTURE

Psalm 77 (NRSV)

Prayer for God to remember us

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, that he may 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.
I think of God, and I moan;
I meditate, and my spirit faints.
Selah

You keep my eyelids from closing;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
I consider the days of old,
and remember the years of long ago.
I commune with my heart in the night;
I meditate and search my spirit:
"Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"
Selah

And I say, "It is my grief
that the right hand of the Most High has changed."

I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord;
I will remember your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have displayed your might among the peoples.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah

When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
your path, through the mighty waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

DEVOTION

Have you ever been so troubled that you could not speak? Have you ever been so concerned that you just could not go to sleep? Have you ever had a night where you laid awake all night long, calling out to God, begging for help, begging for mercy, and when the sun came up you weren’t sure if God had heard you?

I’ve had some of those nights and I am sure that you have too. It is the human condition to despair in times of trouble. When we find ourselves in the desolate place, unsure of just where God is or what God is doing, we sometimes begin to panic.

We begin to worry that God has left us. We begin to despair that God has forsaken us. We begin to imagine that we are going to have to try to solve our problem on our own.

In today’s psalm, the psalmist was in that deep, dark place. He was treading through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He had encountered a dark night of the soul.

But, then GOOD NEWS breaks in and something wonderful happens! In the midst of his trials and his tribulations he begins to remember the wonderful things that God has done in the past. He begins to recount the mighty miracles wrought for the Hebrew people. He begins to encourage himself by calling to mind the good deeds, works and wonders of God.

As he turns his focus from his little troubles, to his very big God, he begins to feel a spirit of praise well up in his belly! He remembers that since God saved before, God will save again!

Recently I received a Facebook flair from a friend that says, “Don’t tell God how big your storms are, tell your storms how big your God is!”

Wow! What a paradigm shift, ya’ll. When we begin to fix our eyes steadfastly on Jesus, we will no problem testifying that, “all of my good days, out weight my bad days, I won’t complain!”

What can you do today to return your gaze to Jesus in the midst of your storms?

Lord of the Universe, we bow in reverence when we remember your awesome power to Create and to Save. Please help me to take my eyes off of my troubles and lift them up to you. I know in your face I will find all of the love, encouragement, and support that I need to persevere day by day. I love you and I know you love me too! There is nothing that we can’t face together. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Today’s song, “I Won’t Complain” can be purchased by clicking the link to the right.

The Good News Living Book Club will be reading Hinds Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard during March. You can purchase the book by clicking the link to the right. Please mark your calendars for our very first book club meeting to be held on Saturday, March 28, 2009, at 9:00am.

You are invited to leave comments or questions regarding today’s devotional. These comments are public.

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Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

from Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com