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At Sandals Church, our vision is to be real with ourselves, God and others. This channel features sermons and teaching from Pastor Matt Brown and other members of the Sandals Church preaching team. You can find sermon notes, videos and more content at http://sandalschurch.com/watch
As we continue reading in the Psalms today, we will be reading Psalm 77. I cry out to God. Yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me. When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord.
Morgan Teruel:All night long I prayed with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted. I think of God and I moan overwhelmed with longing for his help. You don't let me sleep. I'm too distressed even to pray. I think of the good old days long since ended when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
Morgan Teruel:I searched my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is this unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?
Morgan Teruel:Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion? And I said, this is my fate. The most high has turned his hand against me. But then I recall all you have done, oh Lord.
Morgan Teruel:I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works. Oh God, your ways are holy. Is there any God as mighty as you?
Morgan Teruel:You are the God of great wonders. You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. By your strong-arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. When the Red Sea saw you, God, its waters looked and trembled. The sea quaked to its very depths.
Morgan Teruel:The clouds poured down rain, the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. Your thunder roared from the whirlwind. The lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
Morgan Teruel:Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters, a pathway no one knew was there. You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds. It's clear I think when we're reflecting on this Psalm, when we see such a juxtaposition from the first half of this Psalm to the latter, that the writer, Asaph was in such pain was to the point where in verse nine he says, has God forgotten to be gracious? This is part of his character. Has he slammed the door on his compassion?
Morgan Teruel:He felt as though God was withholding an entirety part of who he is, of his character. And the only thing that brought him back in remembrance was recalling the work of God from something so beautiful and so powerful. I love that the Psalm in the latter half and specifically verses 16 through 20 references back to the Exodus. The Psalmist had to reflect all the way back to the Exodus, all the way back to such mighty and incredible works to remember that he was going to be taken care of. To remember that God was going to be compassionate to him, that he wasn't going to keep withholding because he's seen him do it before and he's remembering that he will do it again.
Morgan Teruel:So as we close today, I would love to pray this over you that you would remember that what God has done before, he can do it again and he can do even more. So Lord, would you take this Psalm and allow us to see ourselves in it? See ourselves as people who don't understand you at times, who feel as though you're far away at times, who even God at times doubt you or question you or wonder when we'll get to see a certain representation of your character, things like compassion, things like justice. Lord, but in moments like that, we pray that you would just come through. That we would remember and recount the wonderful works that you've done in our lives.
Morgan Teruel:And if we have a hard time God viewing our own lives, would we begin to see it in other people reflected in their transformation as they worship you and as they follow you God. We know that when we walk with you, you transform us from the inside out. So Lord, would we be, open and would our eyes be, open to seeing what good you do? And would that good that we observe turn into worship turn into belief that you're gonna do it again. We love you, Lord.
Morgan Teruel:Amen.