i send out a weekly email message called thort for the week aimed at challenging and encouraging Christ-followers to really live out what we say we believe – i thort i’d share this week’s with my blog [if you would like to receive the weekly messages simply email brettfish@hotmail.com with the email address you would like it sent to and a ‘please add me’ subject line] – trust you enjoy…

I was sent this psalm during this week of listening to God and it really encouraged me and trust it will do the same for you – take time to really read it though, don’t rush through:

Psalm 77

‘I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
At night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

“Will the Lord reject forever?
Will He never show His favour again?
Has His unfailing love vanished forever?
Has His promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has He in anger withheld His compassion?”

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the Most High.”
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember Your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all Your works and consider all Your mighty deeds.

Your ways, O God, are holy.
What God is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
You display Your power among the peoples.
With Your mighty arm You redeemed Your people,
The descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters saw You, O God
The waters saw You and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
The skies resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world;
The earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.’

Yeah, that Psalm spoke really strongly to me, but especially the verse that Doug and Janet who sent it to me highlighted – we probably all know that story of the footprints on the beach and the question of ‘why God, when it was hardest, was there only one set of footprints?’ and God responds with, ‘during the times of difficulty i was carrying you.’ And yet this seems to be almost the opposite. Or maybe the same in a different way, i don’t know.

Verse 19:

Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.

This is really just an encouragement to continue to trust in God and the faithfulness of Him, even in those moments when His footprints can’t be seen – when it looks like He has abandoned you, when there is no voice or answer coming to your questions or prayers. His path continues to be there. His way stands firm. Even when there is no visual evidence of His footprints.

God is here. He is involved. He does care. He does have a plan. Even when it is not as evident as we would like, all that stuff is still True.

So be encouraged
As i am.

God bless you as you bless others
Love brett anderson