Megan Evans, Women’s Ministry Director, LHBC
Psalm 77:19
Your road led through the seas,
Your pathway through the mighty waters-
A pathway no one knew was there!
Who knew? Our finite human minds are so limited that when we are faced with big scary rivers of fear and doubt, we often just focus on what we can’t see. Our ideas, our thoughts, and our understanding is limited to human capacity, but Psalm 77 reminds us that we serve an unlimited God. His ways are mighty and awesome, and He moves in ways that we can’t even imagine!
How many minutes and hours, or even days have we spent pining and stuck in despair? Following his distress down a pathway of emotion, Asaph the psalmist actually lets his mind begin to think that God has forgotten all about him. Perhaps we can relate. Situations seem too big. Possibilities seem too small. But God…
Just when all hope seemed to be lost, Asaph remembers to worship. All of a sudden, instead of despair, he can’t stop thinking about how great God is! It is easy to worship our problems instead of Jesus when emotions lead the way. So much time, attention, and treasure gets squandered as we dwell in the dead end of feelings. If you’ve been there, you are not alone. The entire first half of Psalm 77 captures a train of out of check emotion, but the mindset completely shifts as the Psalmist recalls amazing things God has done in the past. God’s ways are perfect and holy, and His strength is amazing. He is moving in ways that we can’t see, every single day!
What a difference it makes to praise the Lord for the many wonderful things he has done instead of dwelling on our feelings. In place of frustration and hopelessness, God’s children can say, “Look out Red Sea, our God is bigger than you!” Psalm 77:16 says,
When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
That’s our God! The Lord we love, and serve, and pray to is the Mighty God who makes the very molecules of water tremble. How differently we pray when we remember that the Red Seas we experience in our life quake to their depths when faced with our Mighty God.
Following Jesus doesn’t mean that we always circumnavigate around the scary stuff. Sometimes He leads us right through the sea, even in pathways through the mighty waters, even a pathway no one knew was there! Whatever you are facing today, you can trust the Great Shepherd to lead his sheep. His ways are not our ways, and we can take comfort in God’s perfect and holy guidance. Though our toes might tremble as we stand on circumstantial shorelines, we are safe when we stand on the promises of God.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, lead me into your hope and trust today. I surrender all emotions and worries of this day to you Jesus. Change any words of despair into praise as I recall your mighty works in my life and throughout history. Teach my feet to follow you through the waters and unseen pathways…Your road is perfect. In Jesus Name, Amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.