Revival Requires Reflection

Introduction

Reflection produces affection for people and events. For those who are married, your anniversary date will always carry with it a feeling that is incomparable. For those who have children, the date of their birth will always carry with it special significance. If you’ve ever lost a loved one, the day you said goodbye will forever bring back the emotions of that final conversation, or that dreaded phone call. For each of these moments we can recall the details surrounding the occasion quite vividly. You will remember the sights and the sounds, but more than that you will remember the emotions of that moment.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. - Maya Angelou

This is the perspective from which David writes this Psalm. David pauses to reflect on his salvific experience from the hands of his enemies, and David speaks of how God has made him feel because of what God has done. God is worthy of our praise for who God is. But thanks be unto God that he has not left us without additional reasons to praise him. David’s soul is stirred with emotion because the Lord has saved him.

Perhaps our affection for God is not strong because our recollection of God is wrong? Many of us suffer from amnesia. We hardly ever remember all of the good things people do for us, but we are quick to recall the bad. We can be friends with someone for years, yet let one thing go wrong and how quickly we forget. We forget all of the somethings they let us hold. We forget all of the free rides we got. We forget all of the times they’ve been there for us. Our anger burns largely due to the fact that we have simply neglected to think about all of the things they have done for us in the past. Maybe our spiritual lights have been dimmed because we’ve failed to recall all that the Lord has done for us? We’ve forgotten about all of the ways he has made. We’ve forgotten about all of the doors he has opened. We’ve forgotten how it is we got up this morning. We’ve forgotten who gave us a reasonable portion of health and strength. We’ve forgotten who was responsible for that last breath we took. Most of all we forgot who it was that saved us. David’s soul is made happy thinking about what he’s been through, and how the Lord brought him through. It is one thing for us to cry out to the Lord while we are in trouble, but how quickly we forget about God once he gets us out of the trouble that we are in. In David lamented, he cried out to the Lord. He asked God to save him. But somewhere between and David was saved, and he did not neglect to reflect on what the Lord had done for him. A renewed sincere and genuine love for God requires us to reflect on our if we want to experience the emotion of .

Emotion

It is important for us to recall the emotion we felt when the Lord saved us.

David uses a verb here to describe his emotion toward God that is never again used in the Old testament to describe the way men feel toward God. Usually this type of love is used to describe God’s feelings toward us.

Experience

As we reminisce it is important for us to record and accurate report of what we have experienced. God has given us his word as written revelation of who he is. We can learn about God through the study of his word. We can learn about his character and his attributes. We can learn about his omniscience, omnipotence, and his omnipresence. We learn about his anger, and how he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. We learn about his love and how he adored Israel. We learn about his faithfulness and how he delivered Shadrach, Me-shack, and Abednego. We can learn a lot from God through reading his word.

John 1:1 ESV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

We can also learn a lot about God through his son Jesus Christ.

John 1:14 ESV

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In this Psalm David shows us that we can learn about God through experience.

Romans 1:19–20 ESV

19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

As David gives his report he ascribes 9 names to God:

•His strength; the one that empowered him to survive against and defeat his enemies.

•His rock; which indicates a place of shelter, safety, and a secure standing.

•His fortress; a place of strength and safety.

•His deliverer; the one who made a way of escape for him.

•His God; “my strong God, not only the object of my adoration, but he who puts strength in my soul.” (Clarke)

•His strength; but this uses a different Hebrew word than in . According to Clarke, the idea behind this word is fountain, source, origin.

•His shield, who defends both his head and his heart.

•His horn, meaning his strength and defense.

•His stronghold, his high tower of refuge where he could see an enemy from a great distance and be protected from the adversary.

We all have some names for God that we can give based on personal experience.

Expectation

Our consideration of the past should lead to confidence in the future.

David says that he’s figured out this thing called faith. When you call on the Lord, the Lord answers.

David says that God is worthy of perpetual praise.

Conclusion

Couple in counseling making lists