Where are you wallowing?

     Anybody read Psalm 77 lately?  Wow, talk about a major change of direction!  But isn't that the kind of God we serve?  Our Lord is a supernaturally-turn-it-all-around-sometimes-when-you- least-expect-it-and-most-desperately-need-it, kind of God!  We forget sometimes, don't we?
    While reading this Psalm this morning, I was struck by how discouraged and defeated the people of God obviously were.  The first part of the Psalm laments their desperate and dark plight. Verses like "In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.  When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open [sleeplessness combined with worry or discouragement--a lethal combination]; I am so troubled that I cannot speak...Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?  Has His steadfast love forever ceased?  Are His promises at an end for all times? Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has He in anger shut up His compassion?" (Ps.77:2-9)
     Whew, what a picture of despair.  But haven't you ever known the feeling?  When your prayers seem to be rising no higher than your ceiling...and the way ahead looks foreboding...and God seems unconcerned and unresponsive.
     So what do we do when we're in that dark place?
     Well, all too often, here's our tendency: wallow in it.
     Wallow in our worry.
     Wallow in our fear and fretting.
     Wallow in our frustration and discouragement.
     And that means turning all that toxic mess over and over in our minds--especially at night.  (Ever been wakened in the wee hours of darkness and that negative tape begins playing in your head?) And judging God's faithfulness by our feelings at the moment.  And pigheadedly viewing everything through our myopic lens of self-preoccupied pity and worry.  Geez, so effective, right?  Wrong!  And so totally contrary to the Word.
      Because here's what this seemingly distraught Psalmist does.  Rather than focusing upon all his mess, he choose to focus instead upon God's massive faithfulness, goodness, and glory.
     Look at the very next verse--right after declaring "Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has He in anger shut up His compassion?" the Psalmist chooses to turn 180 degrees and answers his own question with powerful words.  "Then I said, 'I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.'  I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.  I will ponder all your work, and meditate on Your mighty deeds.  Your way, O God, is holy.  What god is great like our God?  You are the God who works wonders; You have made known your might among the peoples." (Ps.77:10-14)
      Now we're talking!  That's how we're to respond when discouragement stalks us or worry steals our peace--we have to choose to change our focus.  We have to choose to stop wallowing in our fear and despair and instead wallow in the Word!
     Yes, wallow in the Word!  Wallow in the Lord and His greatness and glory.
     Rehearse again God's goodness, faithfulness, graciousness, kindness, and holiness.  We have to remind ourselves again that He who never makes mistakes will not make one in our lives.  And that He who has ALL power also has power to change ALL.
     We've got to choose to meditate on the Word rather than meditate on the worry.  Loved these words from Rick Warren: "Surprisingly, if you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate on the Word of God.  Worry is when you take a negative thought and you think on it over and over and over.  When you take a passage of Scripture and you think on it over and over and over, that's called meditation."
     So simple yet so profound!  Wallow in worry or wallow in the Word.  Meditate on your fears or meditate on Your God's faithfulness.  Think over and over and over about all those  terrible "what if's" or think over and over and over about Who God is, what He's done, and what He's said.  One leads to a downward spiral of terror and despair and even hopelessness...the other leads to peace, joy, and hope even in the midst of life's storms.
     Might we choose the Word and our forever faithful Father.  He will never ever fail us, for He is "the God who works wonders."
     "What god is great like our God?"   NONE!  No, not one!
     To our great God be all the glory.