Rehearsing What I Know Of God

by Elizabeth Stewart

I love the honesty of God's Word. There is so much evidence that the Bible is truly God-breathed and true-things like prophecies fulfilled over the centuries and archeological evidence confirming Biblical history. But, one of the things that, to me, is evidence that the Bible is not just some made up religious volume is the fact that the Bible clearly shows the human frailty, weakness and sinfulness of  all of the God/Jesus followers, all of the heroes of our faith in both the Old and New Testaments. There is no effort to make the life of a believer seem anything but down to earth and real, struggles and all.

In Psalm 42 the psalmist writes about his soul being "cast down." In The Message Bible it says, "my soul in the dumps." Perhaps due to our current circumstances-the coronavirus pandemic, the economic impact of the shutdown due to the virus, the civil unrest or any number of other personal struggles you might be going through-you too have had some days when your soul is cast down or in the dumps. The writer of this Psalm encourages himself by "rehearsing" everything He knows of God.  What are some things you and I know of God that can help us in times like these?

God is still in control even when things around me feel out of control.
God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. Psalm 47:8 NKJV

God promises to never leave me or let go of me.
I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] Hebrews 13:5 AMPC

God sees me, loves me and cares for me.
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 AMPC

It is impossible for God to be unfaithful, even when I feel faithless.
If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 AMPC

I can be confident that God is merciful and gracious to me, a refuge and shelter for me in stormy times.
Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed. Psalm 57:1 AMPC

The psalmist said that he rehearsed what he knew of God. To rehearse means to practice or mentally prepare. Our minds are prone to rehearse the things we don't like about the circumstances we are in. We mentally grumble, complain, worry and fret. It takes a deliberate shift, a choice to change the course of our thoughts, to rehearse what we know of God instead of continuing to stay "in the dumps."  Why not start rehearsing what you know of God by compiling your own scripture list of things about His character and His care for you?

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