I NEED YOU, O GOD!

UNLESS GOD INTERVENES IN MY LIFE, I HAVE NO HOPE

Psalm 80:3

Restore us, O God;

let your face shine, that we may be saved!

The writer asks God to show Himself and restore them. They knew very well that their sin had caused their pain and that they needed restoration.

Psalm 80:1

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

you who lead Joseph like a flock.

You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

He was their Shepherd; they needed to be led back in the presence of the omnipotent and holy God. God had blessed them in the past but now, because of their sin, they suffered by the hands of their enemies.

Dear friends, I am reminded over and over again of the mercy of God.

God came down to us and loved us when we were unlovable, rebellious, following our own desires and lusts.

Romans 5:8

         …God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Galatians 2:20

         I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ephesians 2:4-5

         But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

1 John 4:9-10

         In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 3:1a

         See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

How could I ever be driven to bitterness, how could I ever forget to be grateful, how could I ever not love and forgive others, when I read and meditate on these verses?

What I should be surprised about is that, although I have known Christ, I continue in sin and expect forgiveness! Oh, I know He has promised to forgive me and show grace, but how grieved I should be when I offend Him!

I look back at my life and see the times when I slipped into seasons of discontent and sin; I cannot help but marvel that God would forgive me again and again.

Christ is my Advocate; He reminds the Father that I am His! Oh, what a privilege; oh, what a responsibility!

We rejoice that after a season of clouds and rain, the sun shines and warms us again. How much more should we be warmed by the fact that God shines His face upon us!

I am saddened by the scars and consequences of my sin, but I am driven to praise that I can rest assured that I am forgiven, and that my sins have been covered by the blood of Christ. My eternal destiny is sure. No, not for anything I have done, but because my God loves to forgive and show compassion.

Hebrews 4:16

         Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

May these be our recurring words each day: 

I NEED YOU, O GOD, AND I AM PERFECTLY SATISFIED IN YOUR GRACE!

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord.

No tender voice like thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;

Every hour I need Thee!

Oh, bless me now, my Savior;

I come to Thee!

I need thee every hour; stay Thou nearby.

Temptations lose their power When Thou art nigh.

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain.

Come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need Thee every hour, most holy One.

Oh, make me Thine indeed,Thou blessed Son!

                                    By Annie S. Hawks, 1835-1918 

I DON’T DESERVE FORGIVENESS! I NEED MERCY! I NEED GOD SO MUCH!

WHY SHOULD GOD HAVE COMPASSION ON ME?

Psalm 79:1
O God, the nations have come into your inheritance;
they have defiled your holy temple;
they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

The children of Israel cry out to God as they see the destruction around them, but they cannot forget the fact that it is the consequence of their sin. God had to come against them because they again forgot Him and went after idols and the desires of their own flesh. Now they are being mistreated by God’s enemies.

Psalm 79:4
We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
mocked and derided by those around us.

These verses caused me to reflect on the fact that when I sin, I mock God with my actions. I say that He is my Lord and Savior, but my actions are not honoring to Him. When I sin, I lose sight of what people will say about God, whom I claim to serve and worship. If only I spent more time thinking of the consequences of my sin, if I were much quicker to repent of my ways, then the testimony of my actions would certainly be much more honoring to Him!

Here, the children of Israel are appealing to the character of God. We know that this psalm is inspired by God, so we, too are encouraged to go to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness.

Psalm 79:5
How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?

God is never indifferent to sin. He is jealous of His own glory and is angered by sin. Is there hope? Will He forgive? They certainly cannot hope to deserve His compassion and mercy.

Psalm 79:8-9
Do not remember against us our former iniquities;
let your compassion come speedily to meet us,
for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of your name;
deliver us, and atone for our sins,
for your name's sake!

This was the only hope for the children of Israel: God’s compassion, His salvation, and His atonement for their sins. Even their suffering was not a reason to invoke help. Their only basis for pleading was for the sake of His name: His character and His reputation. The children of Israel had been brought low and their only hope was the intervention of God.

Are we bearing the consequences of our own sin? Do we feel that in some ways we deserve God’s compassion or that we have already suffered enough? Sadly, there are times when my reactions display such heart attitudes. I must remember that since I never deserved God’s grace, it is only by the grace of God that I do not bear the consequences of my sins forever! Yes, I can ask God for compassion, but I should never think that I deserve it. Though I might wear the scars of my sins as long as I live here on earth, I can choose to see them as reminders of God’s great grace to me.

How I marvel at the grace of God. I am surprised by His immense compassion. I cannot understand the immensity of the cost of my salvation. How can I forget the love that the Lord has shown to me? My thoughts should be centered on how to bring glory to God and direct the attention of God’s enemies to His purity. The Israelites knew that now the enemies of God where boasting against Him and, for the sake of His glory, they wanted them to be stopped.

Psalm 79:10
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants
be known among the nations before our eyes!

Is this what drives our requests to God?

Psalm 79:11-12
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you;
according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die!
Return sevenfold into the lap of our neighbors
the taunts with which they have taunted you, O Lord!

Yes, they were suffering and desired for God to preserve them, but they also wanted God to react to the taunts of His enemies. They had at last returned to their God.

Psalm 79:13
But we your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

They recognized their privileged position: they were His sheep. Their hearts were thankful and they promised to continue in their praise and pass it on to the following generations.

This is exactly where we need to be. We need to recognize our position as sheep: totally dependent and in need of our Shepherd. We need to find our pleasure and satisfaction in God’s pasture. Our gratefulness should be continuous and immovable. The testimony of the faithfulness and compassion of our God should be continuously on our lips, and we should be purposeful in passing it on to the next generations.

How grateful I am to God, that when I am unfaithful, He remains faithful; when I fall, He shows mercy; when I need to repent, He does what is necessary to bring me back; when I am confused, I can be certain that He will be true to His character forever. I don’t deserve this kind of love!

GOD KNOWS WE ARE FRAIL!

GOD SHOWS MERCY, BUT WE MUST HONOR HIM BY OUR REPONSE

Psalm 78:38-39
Yet he, being compassionate,
atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
He remembered that they were but flesh,
a wind that passes and comes not again.

These verses should fill us with humble gratitude. God has every right to judge us for our sins, and our sins do deserve His wrath, but God is compassionate to His own. He certainly showed His grace to the children of Israel, and continues to do the same for us.

God remembers that we are flesh and shows compassion to His children.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Christ can sympathize with us because as a man He was tempted in all the ways we are, but never sinned. Because of Him, we may confidently pray to the Lord in our need of help, and receive His mercy and grace.

The following verses remind us of how, despite God’s compassion toward them, the Israelites continued in their sin. They rebelled, they tested and provoked God, failing to remember his power.  Yet God continued to be faithful to His promises.

Psalm 78:52-55

Then he led out his people like sheep

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,

but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

And he brought them to his holy land,

to the mountain which his right hand had won.

He drove out nations before them;

he apportioned them for a possession

and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

What a merciful God, Who guided them to safety and provided for them. God protected them and preserved them continually. Yet God did judge their disobedience, and they had to bear the consequences of their sins. But He rescued them when they repented and provided an upright king for them.

Psalm 78:69-72

He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,

like the earth, which he has founded forever.

He chose David his servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

from following the nursing ewes he brought him

to shepherd Jacob his people,

Israel his inheritance.

With upright heart he shepherded them

and guided them with his skillful hand.

God has not changed. He continues to show His compassion for man. His kingdom continues, and in Christ, the house of David reigns eternally. God is in perfect control and chooses to show mercy to His children, even today.

The children of Israel, as they dealt with their difficulties, reverted to grumbling. They quickly forgot the mercy of God and did not trust in His power and wisdom. They failed to impress upon the following generations the immense grace and faithfulness of their God.

How are we doing? Are we quick to forget God’s grace and love when we face trials? Do we lose sight of God’s power when we face adversities? Are we like the children of Israel, who were led to sin by their ingratitude? Are we transmitting our love and praise for our God to the next generations?

Yes, we are encouraged by God’s awareness of our frailty, but we cannot forget that we offend Him every time we complain and lose sight of who He is. May this psalm drive us to review our lives and respond in a way that would glorify our God and King.

HAS GOD BEEN FAITHFUL TO YOU?

WHY WOULD WE EVER QUESTION HIS LOVE AND CARE?

Psalm 78:12-16

In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders

in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

He divided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters stand like a heap.

In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light.

He split rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

He made streams come out of the rock

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

God had done incredible miracles. The children of Israel had seen His mighty works, and they had always reacted with praise and worship. It would seem logical that they would also have continued to serve and worship their God, but this was not so. In spite of it all, they kept sinning against God.

Psalm 78:17-20

Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?”

They sinned, rebelled, questioned, and spoke against their God. They were never satisfied; when their needs were not met, they reacted in sin. The psalmist shows how this was the result of what was in their hearts. Lest we look at the Israelites with disdain, we must stop and examine our own hearts and lives.

Their sin was questioning the ability and desire of God to provide for them. When we become bitter or complain, we are doing the exact same thing. When we become discontent and vent our demands, we are guilty of their same sin. God continues to provide for and preserve us, and yet we tend not to be satisfied. God was not indifferent to the actions of the Israelites and our dissatisfaction still angers Him today.

Psalm 78:21-22

Therefore, when the LORD heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

because they did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

Did you notice what angered God? That they did not believe in Him and they did not trust Him. Dear friends, we must stop and examine our lives and recognize all those words and actions that expose our own lack of belief and trust. When the Bible tells us that we should live by faith, it means that we should not behave in a way that questions God’s wisdom, power, character, and love. I am amazed and humbled by the fact that, as He did with the children of Israel, He shows grace to us.

Psalm 78:23

Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven,

The next verses display the way God continued to show His grace. Dear friends, maybe we should stop to reflect on the ways God has continued to show grace to us, despite our lack of faith. He continues to forgive us, although we continue to fall short. And Israel continued in their roller coaster relationship with their God.

Psalm 78:37

Their heart was not steadfast toward him;

they were not faithful to his covenant.

We should guard our hearts and lives from acting exactly like the Israelites.

Remember that this psalm started by reminding us that we must pass the knowledge of our God on to our children. Our actions expose what we really believe. Our families are watching and learning who God is to us from our attitudes and actions. We must guard our lives’ testimonies, as we are observed by others.

God is not at all indifferent to our relationship with Him. Yes, He does show grace, but He is displeased when we do not believe and trust Him. God has shown Himself so faithful. May we praise His accordingly, and be grateful for His constant care and grace toward us. If we need to, let us confess our sin to Him and to those to whom we have been a poor testimony and let us worship our God. 

PARENTS, WAKE UP!

THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT SPIRITUALLY LEADING YOUR FAMILY

Psalm 78:9-11

The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,

turned back on the day of battle.

They did not keep God's covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

They forgot his works

and the wonders that he had shown them.

How can this be?! Israel had watched God perform miracles, defeat enemies, provide in miraculous ways, and yet they ignored their God. The evidence for the answer comes as a clear testimony from God, Himself: they ‘refused’ to obey His law and they ‘forgot’ His works for them!

The psalmist began this psalm by commanding the fathers to teach and transmit to the children the truth about their God. This instruction cannot be done one time for all, but needs to be repeated consistently within the family. We tend to forget easily. God knows this, and commands us to remember and remind others continually.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

       

The command was very clear. The children of Israel needed to love their God completely and love His words. As they submitted in heart and action to this command, they needed to do all that was necessary to teach their children His words and lead their families in attitudes of love and submission to their God.

Dear fathers and mothers, is this a priority in your lives? Have you taken personal responsibility to teach and guide your families in these vital areas? Obviously, you cannot teach what you have not learned, and you cannot model attitudes that your behavior does not show!

So many parents believe that their major responsibility is to provide financially for their children. The Lord does command them to provide for the family, but that provision was for their needs, not necessarily their desires for particular wants. Parents today are, many times, overwhelmed by working to provide for their children far beyond their necessities. Much effort is placed in providing extracurricular activities like music and sports, for example. They are certainly good and useful, but are they crowding out the even more valuable aspect of life, the eternal matters?

At this point, it is necessary to stop and assess our own lives.

1 – Are we taking the time to grow spiritually so that we can instruct our children in the things of God?

This is not a job that we should relegate to a youth pastor or a Christian school. Although we are grateful for these provisions, it remains our responsibility. We must take time to grow, for we can only teach what we learn and live. It must be fresh, the result of an ongoing personal growth.

2 – Are we living a life that is an example for our family? The use of our time speaks loudly about what is important to us! Our attitudes expose what is really in our hearts. Our priorities preach what we love.

As parents, we learn on the job! It is important to find others who have done a good job in caring spiritually for their children and ask them to give us advice. And God’s Word is full of His principles for teaching our children His ways!

3 – Is there a need to change? True change can only come through the help of the Lord. We must repent and truly ask God to reset our ways and priorities.

Changes in our families’ dynamics might not be received well at first; we must take the time to explain why we are making the changes and confess our shortcomings to those involved. We need to understand that our neglect has had consequences; but we must trust God to help us.

Overall, the psalmist reminds us that God was faithful to His people. Yes, He expected their obedience, but He always showed grace to them when they repented and turned to Him for help.

We are so blessed by the fact that God has given us His Word. Reading this psalm is a powerful and loving reminder to all of us.

God is the One who changes lives. We cannot change hearts; but what we can do is be obedient, ask for God’s help continually, and trust Him for the results! Men, you must remember that you are the ones to whom God has given the responsibility to lead in this way! We certainly don’t want our families to forget God!

LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES!

TEACH OTHERS ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD

READ PSALM 78

Psalm 78:1-4

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

The author, under the inspiration of God, is commanding the children of Israel to be careful to listen and learn from his teaching. His story will be based on the history of Israel and their necessary response is to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Not only it is necessary for the people to listen and learn, but also to teach these lessons to their children, to then be passed on to the future generations.

At the center of the whole teaching is the kind providence of God in doing great works for Israel and graciously forgiving them.

We, too, should ask ourselves if we are learning from our past mistakes so that we will not fall again. When one does not recognize his mistakes, the tendency will always be to feel more like a victim than a person to whom God has shown grace. We should always be alarmed when we begin to feel like victims, for God is always gracious to His own; we have no cause for complaint or dejection.

Psalm 78:5-8

He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

and arise and tell them to their children,

so that they should set their hope in God

and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The concern was that the rebellion and sin of the fathers would not be repeated by their children. Parents have always had the responsibility to teach their children about God and model for them true submission and worship. The responsibility of the children was to set their hope in God, remember His works, and keep His commandments.

God had commanded their obedience through Moses.

Deuteronomy 4:1-2

“And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.

        

The instructions were clear to not deviate in any way from the commands they had received, and to teach their children to do the same.

        

Deuteronomy 4:9

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children's children.

Dear friends, are we so distracted by our daily lives or, worse, blinded by our sin, that we are neglecting our responsibilities to set our hope, worship, and obedience on God and to teach our families to do the same?

This is not a small task nor easy, but it is our responsibility. Is it time to stop and evaluate our lives and ask ourselves what we are teaching, not only with our words, but also by our behavior.

Dear friends, is our God worthy of our trust? Is He worthy of our worship? Is he worthy of our obedience? The warning we have here must include the thought that it is possible to lose sight of God and neglect our responsibility to our descendants.

There is no better use of our time than investing it in our children and grandchildren. Even if we have none, we can find others to encourage toward awareness of the grace of God.

What a privilege we have, to worship the only true God and invite others to do the same!

DEPRESSION DOES NOT SCARE GOD! THERE IS A WAY OUT

WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE ARE FEELING HOPELESS?

Psalm 77:1-3

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

Are you discouraged? Does everything look bleak? Are you wondering if you are becoming depressed? Are there situations in your life that seem hopeless? Do you feel like you cannot shake the sadness in your heart?

The writer of this psalm is surely overwhelmed by his troubles. God is inspiring him to write these words for our benefit, and we can learn from them how to deal with our own ‘days of trouble’. They can also help us not to be superficial when dealing with those who are struggling to find peace in their spirits.

The writer has come to the place where thinking of God causes pain. When he stops to think about God, his fainting spirit becomes even more discouraged

Psalm 77:4-6

You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I consider the days of old,

the years long ago.

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

Can a person become so discouraged that he loses the desire to live? The writer cannot sleep; he has lost his desire to talk. He tries to remember his joyful times with God and to meditate in his heart. He wonders about what God is doing. God allowed these verses to be in Scripture so that we would be aware that this can happen to us, too.

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 angrily shut up his compassion?” Selah

Has God changed? Is He going to be angry forever? Is His love truly steadfast? Could His love change or be directed to someone else? Has His grace ended? Will God ever change in His disposition towards me? These thoughts can be entertained even by those who know God.

At this point the writer must make a choice about what is going to rule his thinking. He can make his situation and plight his own focal point, or he can think about who God is. He must choose to either retreat into himself, or to push himself to the direction of his God.

Psalm 77:10

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

He chooses to hold on to his God, the Most High. By using that description, he is reminded of God’s power, His character, His position. There is no one like Him. Although his personal situation has not changed, and he still sees no light at the end of his tunnel, he concentrates on what he knows about his God. This is where we must direct our thoughts, if this is the way we feel and this is how we can help those who are depressed.

Psalm 77:11-15

I will remember the deeds of the LORD;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

I will ponder all your work,

and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

The writer chooses to think about what the Lord has done and Who He is. He stops thinking about himself and concentrates instead upon what he has seen to be true about God.

He remembers what the Creator and sustainer of the universe has done for him in the past, for He has watched Him do mighty deeds. He meditates on God’s holiness. He is like no one else. He has revealed Himself to His people and redeemed them.

When we find ourselves slipping into depression, we must not lose sight of God’s character and His care for us in the past. We cannot forget that He chose us, He reached down to us and has redeemed us at a great price. His love has never been something we attracted or deserved, but in His wonderful grace, He chose to love us. God continues to be as powerful as He has ever been.

Psalm 77:16-20

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

God has proven His power to lead the children of Israel through desperate situations He cared for them as a shepherd tends his flock. Yes, the situation is hard. Yes, there is no end in sight. Things might continue to be overwhelming for a long time, but the author will not allow his present trouble to darken what he knows to be true about his God.

Dear friends, through this psalm, God is inviting all of us to keep our thought life under control during difficult times. We must continue to saturate our minds with what we know is true about God.

May God teach us to be patient with those who are struggling in their difficulties, even when they are tempted to question God’s love and care. We must, like the psalmist, gently remind them of God’s character, His power, and His provision.