I WILL REMEMBER


A. "AND I SAID, THIS IS MY INFIRMITY; BUT I WILL REMEMBER THE YEARS OF THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MOST HIGH, I WILL REMEMBER THE WORKS OF THE LORD; SURELY I WILL REMEMBER THY WONDERS OF OLD" - PSALMS 77:10-11
  1. To truly appreciate our text, it will be needful for us:
    1. To keep in mind that the Psalmist passed through periods of doubt about his relationship to God
    2. Continued and severe trials had beclouded his vision of God's plan for him
  2. But the power of memory changed his stand and dispelled all doubt:
    1. He recalled the wonderful works of God and he recorded them - Ps. 111:1-9; 19:1-6
    2. He soon realized that there are depths in the ways of God that are beyond his ability to comprehend, hence his testimony as recorded in our text
B. "I WILL REMEMBER"
  1. The power of memory:
    1. Memory is the one faculty given to man whereby he gives meaning to his life - remove his memory and ceases to function as a rational being
    2. Memory is the power whereby man receives and appropriates thoughts and formulates rational actions
    3. It is the power of memory that enables man to put to use the powers of his being to bring blessings to man and beast and all creatures
  2. The power of memory is:
    1. Absolutely necessary to differentiate between truth and error, between wrong and right, between morality and immorality
    2. The power of memory is necessary to worship God intelligently in spirit and in truth
    3. Memory might well be called the right hand of reason and intelligence
    4. This is one great reasons why Satan seeks to destroy man's memory for if the memory has been paralyzed, man's moral powers are without proper guidance
    5. The preacher admonishes us to, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life" - Prov. 4:23
C. LET US NOTE THE THINGS MENTIONED IN OUR TEXT WHICH THE PSALMIST PROMISED TO REMEMBER
  1. He makes a humble confession:
    1. That his doubt is one of his infirmities of which we all are afflicted with
    2. David had many such infirmities and he sought to overcome them by the grace of God
  2. But our text brings to our minds the real power that enabled the Psalmist to overcome those weaknesses:
    1. "I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High"
    2. The right hand stands for action and the Psalmist could recall many mighty actions by the right hand of the Most High - Examples: The scriptures generally impute to God's right hand all the effects of His omnipotence - Ex. 15:6; Ps. 17:7; 20:6; 44:3. He could recall what the right hand of God did to Pharaoh and his army - Ex. 14:28; how God fed Israel with manna for forty years and opened the rock and had streams of water come out of it; how God destroyed the enemies of Israel by His right hand. More than that the Psalmist had a living memory of how the right hand of God removed Saul from the throne in Israel and gave it to him
  3. Friends of mine, it will be for our good, if we too refresh our memory of how God has led us:
    1. When I recall the way the Lord has led me, I am awed and feel unworthy of His wonderful grace to me; here I am seventy-four years of age and as far as I know, all the members of my body and mind serve me as good as ever.
    2. Memory is a great blessing but let us use it to recall the many benefits we have received from our heavenly Father - Ps. 103:1-3
    3. It will be useful for us to devote a portion of our worship to prayerful meditation upon the wonderful works of God and also of how he has shepherded us, cared for us as a father does for his children and then let us proclaim His goodness with praise and thanksgiving
    4. Note, the Psalmist uses the word, "remember" three times in our opening text - the Trinity of our memory, let us use it.


Design © John Bryant 2011