You are forging pathways in your brain. Habits of thought are like water – the default is following the path of least resistance. There is a reason why it is easier to have a “good day” when things are going as you like, and a “bad day” when things are not going so well. Picture yourself at the beach building a sand mound; you fill a bucket of water and pour it over the mound – it forges pathways in the sand. If you pour water a second time – the water will not so much forge new pathways as it will follow the path of least resistance and flow down the established pathways.
This points to the necessity of the biblical virtue of meditation – considering God, and then expressing the fruits of that process.
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:34
This was Asaph’s resolve in a season of despondency filled with questions. The 77th Psalm records his thoughts as he prays his emotions.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds.
Psalm 77:11–12
Asaph begins with three truths about God’s benevolent sovereignty:
“Your way is holy” – God’s ways are far above ours because he is infinite and transcends time and space. His ways are pure – they do not include pretense, misunderstanding, or ill will.
“What God is great like our God?” – there is no higher, purer, or more trustworthy object of trust.
“You have made known your might among the peoples” – God’s providential power is not myth or wishful thinking – it is objective reality.
Then the Psalmist trains his memory on an actual event in history – a time of God’s awesome deliverance of his people, which was a display of God’s unrivaled power and his control over the created order. Three realities of his deliverance emerge:
“Your way was through the sea” – not around it or avoiding it, but through it.
“Yet your footprints were unseen” – the people had to exercise trust.
“You led your people like a flock” – With tender care, God leads his people in community.
Laura Andrews sums it up well: “We approach God because he eagerly invites us, and because our shame is ultimately eclipsed by his desire to make us holy. What’s more, Jesus is our High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses and has been tempted as we are. As a result, we can draw near to God’s throne with confidence and receive mercy and grace for our needs.”[1]
The discipline of meditation will forge new pathways – train the brain – to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, trustworthy, excellent, good, praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8) – all that is the character and purpose of God.
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[1] Laura Andrews | CCEF | “God Loves a Complainer”
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