God's Story: Psalm 78

One thing God has been teaching me lately is the importance of story - especially my own story within his greater story. As sinful humans, it's easy to get caught up in our own story, our own gifts, relationships, personal triumphs, and our future goals, as if we would have gifts, healthy relationships, victory, or hope for the future apart from Jesus Christ. It's also easy to become self-absorbed with our own troubles - to focus on our struggle, our sin, our pain, the injustice done to us, or the hardship we are experiencing, as if God is absent or removed from our hardship, as if his purpose is thwarted by our sin or as if he is rendered powerless by our current struggles. When reflecting on my own life, it's easy to think about me. My story, my victories, my struggles, when in reality, it's all about God. I am just one of many of people within God's great story of love, salvation, and redemption.

The Psalmist in Psalm 78 also reflects on God's story...

Asaph expresses his thankfulness for God's story throughout Psalm 78.
First he praises "the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done," and reminds the Israelites that God's story needs to be passed down to the "coming generation" (vs. 4).

Asaph remind the people that God "established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel" (vs. 5). He then goes on to recount many, but in reality only a fraction, of God's glorious deeds and goodness toward Israel...

God "made streams come out of the rock..." (vs. 16).
God "rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven" (vs. 24).
God "rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas" (vs. 27).
And although the people continued to sin in their mistrust, grumbling, and ingratitude,
God "being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them" (vs. 38).

The Psalmist also reflects back to the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt and the day when God "redeemed them from the foe, when he performed his signs in Egypt" (vs. 42-43), and when he "led out his people like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock...and he brought them to his holy land" (vs. 52, 54).
God's faithfulness to his people continued through the generations, despite their sin and rebellion. Asaph rejoices that God "chose David his servant...to shepherd Jacob his people, Israel his inheritance" (vs. 70-71).

I know that the story above is bascially one long direct quote, but that's because it's God's story. It's taken directly from his book, and his story is not finished yet...although we know the ending! Just as the Israelites' part in the story is a mix of sin, suffering, redemption, glory and obedience, so is my own story one small scene of sin, suffering, redemption, glory, and obedience. God is so good. He sent Jesus who is the author and prefector of my own small story of faith. And my little tiny story fits beautifully within God's story of salvation for the whole world.