“A missionary’s life is in many ways a catalog of answers to prayer.” I read this sentence recently in an article written by Alan Patterson, a family member and a life-long mission worker. Its truth struck a chord, and I thought over the many, many ways that God provided for our family the 15 years we were in China. (I also wished that I had kept an actual log of all of these answers to prayer!)
I think that this idea can be expanded. We can say, “A Christian’s life is in many ways a catalog of answers to prayer.” Our Father truly provides for our needs, both physical and spiritual, each and every day.
Certain Psalms give us this kind of pattern for viewing our lives and the lives of other Christians throughout history. (Psalm 66, 76-78, 107, 124, and 126 are some of these.) These inspired songs reflect the importance of recording and then praising God, not only for His vast perfection, but also for the specific ways that He has answered our prayers and helped us.
These Psalms point to the necessity of recording, remembering, and reviewing the things that God has done in our lives.
1. Meditating on God’s acts when He seems far away helps us to counter unbelief.
Have you ever had a time when God’s promises didn’t seem true? When He seemed distant or uncaring or nonexistent? Asaph did. He writes in Psalm 77, “My soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints” (v. 2b-3). Thinking about God doesn’t comfort Asaph. It increases his agony. He asks difficult questions about God, such as “Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time?” (v. 8).
But Asaph doesn’t stop there, transfixed by his current pain and mental distress. He keeps digging. If he doesn’t feel close to God at this moment, he will pull back further curtains of his memory to reveal the things that he knows are true about God.
He then lists acts of God, and we can see the list of acts goes back to the time of Moses and Aaron. Asaph is comforting himself with the acts of God that happened seven generations earlier! We might be tempted to say, “God, you did amazing miracles for them. Why aren’t you acting in my life?” But Asaph’s takeaway from the historical record of God’s actions is different. He says, “God, I may not feel your presence now, but I know that you are a God who saves.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
Psalm 77:11–14
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
These passages help us, people drowning in a cultural sea of individualism and instantaneity, to step back and see that God’s character and His promises are true. We might be living in a period of leanness or affliction. We may be in the middle of a battle with depression that feels dark and hopeless. But we can embrace the truths that God has shown throughout history, even if it doesn’t feel like “our truth” at this moment. God welcomes us to pray to Him honestly when we are wading through the darkness. God doesn’t ask us to pretend. He asks us to trust. He asks us to trust that this is not the end, and that He will continue to work in our lives just like He has always worked in His people.
2. Recording God’s acts helps us to review them with the next generation.
Asaph continues his meditation in Psalm 78. Psalm 77 starts with Asaph’s present pain and then recounts God’s past actions. In Psalm 78, Asaph looks back at the past and forward to the future. He acknowledges the need to share this answer with future generations.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
Psalm 78:2–4
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
He then recounts again in more detail the acts of God to the children of Israel, starting with their rescue from Egypt and ending 60 verses later with God choosing David to lead His people. The list of acts include miraculous rescue, forgiveness of sin, and punishment for rebellion. This incredibly long song functions as both a warning to be faithful and a reminder of God’s blessing.
How are we communicating these things with the next generation? How are we talking to ourselves about them? We must filter all of our experiences and understanding of the world through the knowledge that God is saving His people. Do we have our own record of His mighty acts in our lives and in the generations of Christians around us? We can strengthen our own faith by recounting these things and we can spread His praise to the next generation.
Is your life a catalog of answers to prayer?
This article formed the inspiration behind a new prayer journal, one designed to help you create a catalog of praise. Check it out here:
With a cover design inspired by the Alberta Rocky mountains, this journal is the perfect size (6×9) to carry with your Bible. It includes 7 sections to organize your prayers as well as a bonus resource section with lists of key references of Bible verses on prayer. Be guided by scripture as you meditate on verses from the Bible and pray to God. Watch how He answers and record His works for the next generation!
Suggested Reading:
‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ ‘Thy word is a lamp to my feet.’ ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart!’ Such phrases leap to mind whenever Christians lift their hearts to God. For many, in fact, the Psalms are the richest part of the Old Testament. Derek Kidner provides a fresh and penetrating guide to Psalms 1―72. He analyzes each psalm in depth, comments on interpretative questions and brings out the universal relevance of the texts. (Amazon description)
Derek Kidner provides a fresh and penetrating guide to Psalms 73―150. He analyzes each psalm in depth, comments on interpretative questions and brings out the universal relevance of the texts. He also gives special help on the psalmists’ cries for vengeance. Together with its companion volume (Psalms 1―72), both of which were formerly part of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series, this introduction and commentary will inspire and deepen personal worship. (Amazon description)
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