“Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.  They would not be like their ancestors–a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him.”  Psalm 78:7-8

In a nutshell, Psalm 78 is the story of what happens when we trust God and, conversely, what can happen when we don’t.  This Psalm was written with the intention of preserving the lessons needed to help future generations walk more strongly with God.  The psalmist’s hope was clearly for the future children of God not to make the same mistakes that prior generations had.

Since this psalm reviews the history of God’s people, it is a longer story of the ups and downs that happened as God sought to deliver them from a life of servitude to fear and its fearful friends.  In a way, it is a glimpse at our own journey in this life.  The trials that befall our lives and give birth to fear; some we encounter and, many others, we create.

In the beginning of Psalm 78, the writer lays out why we need to know their history.  Think of it this way–we are that future generation he is speaking to.  We are the ones who need to know what he is trying to share from one generation to the next.  It is truly important for us to learn the lessons that were taught to those who came before us, and more so, we need to understand how to live with more faithfulness and obedience to God and His ways.

The psalmist had one primary goal–that those listening would learn to better put their trust in God.  Not only did they need to trust Him, but they also needed to remember His deeds so that they would be motivated to keep His commands.  Growing and developing trust can be furthered by choosing to remember His displays of power, even when we are unsure about being obedient to what He is asking.  That includes even when God says, “Do not be afraid!”, despite the situation looking very frightening.  How can we keep that command?  By turning to Him with our trust, comfort and strength, and then following through with doing what He says we should despite what our fears say.

So what can we glean from this psalm nowadays?  I think it hits home the value and power that comes from knowing God’s word, revisiting His wonders, and actively seeking to strengthen our trust and faith in God.  Understanding His word is the best way to grow faith, while also remembering all that He has done in our lives and the lives of others.  Our willingness to learn, grow and be obedient to His words and ways isn’t about proving our faith; it is about developing our character in accordance with trusting Him.

“They would not be like their ancestors–a stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to Him.” Psalm 78:8

Being in God’s word and building faith is not some doctrinal check list of key points that prove you are a Christian.  Nor is it about making up what you think God must want.  In fact, the shared history of Psalm 78 was not about showing they were “good” with God.  If anything, it was quite the opposite.  Rather, they purposefully reviewed this history with the hopes of working out their own sin, stubbornness, disobedience, rebellion, disloyalty and unfaithfulness.  The hallmarks of character traits that pull us farther from God (and others) and not closer to.

I was recently interviewed by a young lady who asked me, “How do you spread the gospel?”  I paused for a moment, sighed and smiled, “That’s a big question!  I guess I try hard to live it.  It is much like the old saying: walk the walk, and not talk the talk.  It is not so much about what we say, but more about doing what God asks us to do–to live out His truths in our daily lives and largely that is done by how we care for others.”

Learning and teaching on how to trust God does not involve theological discussions on ethereal talking points about faith.  It comes through an active walk with God, often outside of our comfort zones, with willing hearts, open minds, listening ears and seeing eyes.  With all of our senses–all of what we are designed to be–trying to trust Him each step of the way.  Faith is not about an easy set of words articulated to look faithful; true faith must be lived out in how we live.

When you dig deeper into Psalm 78, you will find many moments of God’s great patience, His righteous anger and the discipline that He used to bring His children (those willing to be corrected) back to trusting Him rather than their enemies, their desires or their own power and strength.  His gospel is not just a nice story of blessings but rather a continuous example of God’s Presence, love and faithfulness despite our sin, shortcomings and very short memories of His grace.  It involves not only God’s great mercy but His correction.  Our God truly loves us enough to say, “Your faith is falling short and I need you to come back to believing in Me fully.  Trust Me.  I want you to have the best life possible, and that starts by letting go of the things that have more control of you than they were ever meant to.  I desire for you, and not your fears or addictions, to live through the space and time of this precious life that I have given you.”

So let’s explore this story in a little more depth, and be willing to learn what it is meant to teach us about where the decision to trust, or not to, can lead us.

“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth.  I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old–things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us.  We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.”  Psalm 78:1-24