Remembering the Bad Times

In Psalm 77, Asaph is confused and frustrated. He feels God has rejected him. 

But he moves from discouragement to hope, and it’s helpful to understand how he does it.

In verse five Asaph focuses on past blessings, but his frustration remains.

Sometimes it’s good to focus on all of our blessings (Philippians 4:8). But it doesn’t work when we’re comparing past blessings with present difficulties.

So Asaph does something that might seem counter-intuitive: he remembers bad times in the past. 

But he doesn’t simply remember bad times. He remembers God’s faithfulness in the bad times.

He specifically mentions the time the Israelites stood hopelessly between Pharoah’s angry army and the Red Sea and remembers:

“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.”

Asaph needed to remember God’s ability to bring His people through a sea of hard times and “impossible” situations.

When we feel discouraged and abandoned, we need to do the same.
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I want to encourage you to be part of a Bible study group that discusses Scripture. I first understood this truth from Psalm 77 during a discussion at a Bible study, and I thank Kathy for pointing it out.  For more encouragement about this kind of fellowship, read The Blessings of a Peer Mentor.

💙💛💙💛 

If you enjoy Bible Love Note's one-minute devotions, you'll love Gail's book Wisdom for Life featuring 100 one-minute devotions from Psalms and Proverbs. Read the first 4 devotions in the book on Lifeway or Amazon by clicking "look inside" or "read sample." Find out about the free Bible studies you can get with purchase here: Wisdom for Life Publisher's page.

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