When Dark Days Come....Remember!

“Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” Psalm 77:8

That verse pretty much sums up how I’ve been feeling recently. We are just days from closing on our house. I’ve packed more boxes than I care to count, and from that, have awakened an old back injury which put me into a back brace. Not a pretty picture just prior to moving.

But the icing on the cake came a few days ago when my husband called. “Honey, I’m okay, but I’ve been in a car accident.”

Of course my first response was relief and thankfulness that he was okay. A close second, however, was REALLY? Really, God? How much more can we take right now? I admit, I felt a bit angry. That day was tipping point. I could hardly walk, had boxes towering around me, and now this.

Let me make myself perfectly clear, I’m not sharing this with you for you sympathy or judgement, for that matter. But because I know YOU have days like that!

Who has not been invited and rushed to attend a self-made PITY PARTY?!? It’s what we do when things go wrong. Why me? What else? is our theme song.

A few days later, I grabbed my Bible and it opened to Psalm 77. I read the above verse and of course felt that immediate connection to the sad song of the Psalmist. (I had not quite left the pity party.)

And I read on. “Has God forgotten to be merciful?” (v. 9) Oh, that’s me all right! God must be forgetting ….Hello, God! Remember me? I’ve got a lot going on here and need you!

But watch how the Psalmist changes his tune in verses 10 and 11:

“Then I thought, ‘To this I will appeal; the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will mediate on your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”

What the Psalmist is doing here is making a concerted effort to not dwell on his current circumstances, but to recall when God has shown his mighty power and rescued over and over again. He basically decided to exit the pity party and dwell on God’s goodness.

“You ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are a God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.” (vs 13)

Then he goes on to list some of the amazing things God had done for His people in the past.

This reminder was like a breath of fresh air for me! God has not failed me in the past, nor will He now. By looking back I can see how He has come through, often when I least expected it! It’s one of the reasons I like to journal. I write out what I’m going through, some of my prayers, and the many Bible verses that have encouraged me over the years. It’s my story of God’s faithfulness in my life.

Like the old “Footprints In the Sand” poem, God has carried me then, He’ll carry me now.

The Bible is God’s journal. It is evidence of His faithfulness. It’s His story of redemption, love, and help in times of trouble. I hope when your next invite to a pity party comes, you’ll grab a Bible and open it.

When dark days come….remember what God has done!