Psalm 77:3
“I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.”
Your focus determines your outlook. Whatever you choose to focus your attention upon will ultimately determine how you perceive life. It is always amazing to me when I see someone who is facing great affliction in life who is always on top side, always bragging on the goodness of God and seems as if they have no troubles in life. On the other hand, you see some whose troubles are truly minuscule, but they act as if they are living under the greatest load of trials a person could bear. The difference between the two is their focus.
In Psalm 77, there are two focuses in life that result in two different outlooks. The first focus is found in the verse above when the psalmist focused on himself and his problems and complaining. Is this not interesting that complaining caused him to be troubled when he remembered God? Here is someone who is truly blessed, but because they were focused upon themselves they missed the goodness of God.
Complaining about your problems in life will only cause you to miss the good life. When he complained, he missed the presence of God. When he complained, he missed seeing God’s grace in his life. When he complained, all he could see was the negative. Complaining caused him to see God as angry, far off and even moved him to the point where he wondered if God’s promises failed. Friend, you cannot live a life of complaining and it not cause your outlook of life to look grim. Living a life of complaining only causes you to miss the good life.
The second focus happened in verse 10 when he says, “And I said, this is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.” The perception of the psalmist turned from complaining to accepting life as it was, and that decision turned his whole outlook on life around. That decision led to his remembrance of the works of God. That decision led to his remembrance of the power of God. That decision led to his recognition of God’s works all throughout his life. That decision led to him talking about the goodness of God everywhere he went. The difference of accepting what came his way in life truly allowed him to live the good life. That decision to accept life as it was allowed him to live life to its fullest.
Christian, you can accept what you face in life and you will find that will lead you to see life with a whole new perception. It will help you to see the goodness of God all about you. It will cause you to see the power of God working in your life. It will cause you to see the veracity of the promises of God. It will actually strengthen you to be able to handle your problems.
It all comes down to what you choose to look at. You can either complain about every problem in life and miss the good life, or you can see the goodness of God and live the good life. Life can be good if you will stop complaining. Life can be good when you meditate on God’s goodness. Life can be good when you stop thinking you are the only one who has problems in life.
Let me encourage you to stop complaining. Stop for a moment and look at all you have. Friend, look at where you are sitting right now and think about how good God has been to you. Look in your closet and see the several choices of clothing you can wear and you will realize God has been good. Look in your cupboards and see the food you have to eat. Truly, God has been very good to you. You have no reason to complain. The next time you are tempted to complain, purposely stop yourself and look at what God has done for you and you will find that complaining is baseless. Live the good life and see the goodness of God. It is then that others will learn of God’s goodness through your attitude.