Remember This On a Hard Day

You can listen to this post here on the Refresh Her podcast.

On a recent early spring day, my husband and I were strolling on one of the beautiful walking paths near us. There is a little river that runs alongside the path. There are a couple of small waterfalls. There are green pastures and mountains. I was reveling in the beauty of it all when I looked at a woman walking towards me. She was not looking at the scenery. She wasn’t looking at the path or those that were walking towards her. She had her phone lifted up and she was texting and scrolling, totally oblivious to the beauty. Now perhaps she had a good reason to do this, but all I could think was, She’s missing all THIS!”

But how often I do the same thing when I’m overwhelmed with things going on in my life! All I can do is be obsessed with what is happening and how it’s affecting me. I miss what God is wanting to show me or remind me.

It’s so comforting to me to see in Scripture that even great men of God had times when they did this, too. But the blessing is that we also get to see when they got the victory over their defeat and how they did it.

Psalm 42 reminds us of a difficult time in David’s life –

V. 6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

. David makes a choice to remember His God. He remembered him in the night, and isn’t that when the things we’re experiencing overwhelm our hearts even greater? The fears and worries grow into outrageous proportions. It’s often easier for me to focus on the problem or worry at hand. I remember every detail and tell anyone who will listen! But there’s no victory there! Victory comes when we remember to remember – Who will help us, what He will do and when He will do it.

1. Who – David said, Oh, MY God. Even though David was in despair, he remembered Who would help him – HIS God would! Spurgeon said “You cannot praise another man’s God.” He was David’s God and He praised him for that fact!
   When we remember Who our God is – Holy, immutable, powerful, merciful, omnipotent, omnipresent, and OURS, we don’t have to wonder what He will do! We know that we can trust His sovereign, loving hand to do what is right.
2. Where – David recounts several places he’d been. Perhaps he was remembering how He had known God’s presence and power in those places. The truth stands that no matter where David went, God was with him.
   It’s easy to forget that when we feel alone in our struggles. But look back and remember that on that little hill of sorrow, God was with you. On that mountaintop of blessing, it was God that blessed you. Those deep places call out to the other times of deep trouble when God supplied and strengthened us there and there and there.
3. When – David recounts that in the daytime he will see God’s lovingkindness, in the night God’s song would be with him, and his prayer would be to the God of his life. It sounds like David is reminding himself that God is faithful during the day, comforting during the night, and listening to his prayers ALL HIS LIFE.

Oh that on a hard day when our heart is overwhelmed we would remember God’s activity in our lives! Think about Who, Where and When you’ve been helped in the past. It will make you “put your phone down” and count the blessings that are all around you. God is the same as He was back then. He will not fail you now. Just take a look and see what He’s doing on your behalf even today!

Remember this truth on your next hard day!