“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.”
-
Psalm 77:11-12
Mark
Twain is reputed to have once said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it
rhymes.” By knowing our history, in other words, we are better able to
interpret our present—patterns that would otherwise seem inexplicable instead
become familiar, events that might otherwise take us by surprise are instead
predictable. Knowing what has
happened makes it easier to understand what is
happening…and can even help us forecast what will happen.
That
is the principle that prompts the writer of Psalm 77 to look back on God’s
mighty deeds, from the creation of the world to the exodus of God’s people from
Egypt. In a time of trial, these memories serve as comfort and encouragement, proof
that there is no challenge bigger than God. “If God could do that,” the psalmist seems to be saying, “Then
he can do this.”
Just
as they did for the psalmist, our memories of God’s powerful deeds in the past
can compel us to trust him in the present. The problem, of course, is that we tend
to have pretty bad memories. Whether it is a catastrophe knocking you off your
feet or the day-to-day grinding you down to a nub, present trials have a way of
making history feel like myth and memory like illusion.
But
as Psalm 77 shows us, there is power and purpose in remembering. The biblical
stories of God’s faithfulness may be ancient history, but His faithfulness
itself is a present reality. His vows to never leave nor forsake His people may
have been penned hundreds of years ago, but time has not fossilized those promises,
it has validated them for generation after generation. For all the ways we change,
God remains steadfast.
So
when you need a word of hope, worry less about forecasting what God will do and
more about learning from what He has done. History may not repeat itself—but who
knows, maybe it’ll rhyme.
No comments:
Post a Comment