“I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!
When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.
I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.”
Psalms 77:1-3 NLT
I don’t know what was troubling Asaph when he wrote this psalm, but it sure must have been heavy. Asaph was the chief musician during the time of David and Solomon. Whatever the reason for his words, they are relatable. We all have had times when we have experienced such emotions.
But after expressing his deep despair, Asaph turns his thoughts to God’s goodness by remembering a very significant event. He thinks back to when the Israelites were fleeing captivity in Egypt and were trapped—-the Red Sea in front of them and the Egyptian army behind them. An impossible situation.
“The earth trembled and shook. Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!”
Psalms 77:18-19
Who could have imagined that the sea would divide itself in two? Who could have predicted God would create a dry pathway right through the middle of the sea? But that’s how God works. He makes a way when we least expect it.
For the past two weeks I have found myself feeling a bit like Asaph did. Mike was facing a medical diagnosis that looked pretty grim. When suspicious spots in his lungs and lymph nodes lit up on a PET scan, worry set in. That usually points to only one thing. Next came a biopsy and we braced ourselves for the worst to be confirmed. But who knew that a fungal infection could also light up on a scan and closely resemble cancer? That was not something we (or even doctors) anticipated. A highly unlikely and rare diagnosis, one much more preferable than cancer. A pathway we didn’t know was there.
God works in ways we cannot predict or understand. Our job is to keep hanging on, with our eyes fixed on Him. Sometimes we find ourselves surprised by His acts of goodness and mercy. Always we are held in His divine hands.
I needed to read this today! My family has been waiting for a pathway that we don’t see yet. But I know God will make one and it will be better than we can imagine.