Last week the first half of this psalm explored the worldly half of our two story universe. Our psalmist like popular authors of the nineteenth century sang a temporary song of himself. And contrary to the literary trends of the last century, his musings ended in despair. He discovered the utter emptiness of the unredeemed human condition.

Should we who are redeemed be really surprised that the more popular the romantic poets, the evolutionary scientists, the marxist bureaucrats and the freudian counselors of the last century become - the worse we find the human condition? Too often we of the Church are encouraged to join in with the worldly musings and accept their half baked philosophies instead of the revealed Word of our God in heaven.

Not so our psalmist. In verse ten he calls himself to remember the revelations, the deeds and the things of our heavenly God! Well, you may ask, what is so revolutionary about this? Every worldly religion is willing to synthesize their imaginations with the faith once revealed to the saints. This is nothing more than the Gnostics tried to do. It is nothing more than worldly theologians have also attempted to do over the centuries. Certainly many like Thomas Aquinas meant well enough to accommodate the best of worldly philosophy with the Christian revelation.

However, the worldly musings of the Romans, the Greeks and all the rest are unworthy to be synthesized with the faith once given to the saints. What we have in the revelation record handed down from heaven is the very Word of God which must be kept uncontaminated by the philosophies of mere man.

Let me digress to make this point. Out of Eastern Europe there came a story of two poor soldiers who wandered into a plundered village on their way home from the wars. Knowing that there was no need to ask for bread, they simply asked for a pan of water and a fire to make their own nail soup. You probably remember the rest of the story and how the poor peasants were persuaded to volunteer their carrots, turnips, cabbage, meat and all the rest of the ingredients. By the time each family had added its contribution, the nail soup was very pleasant and enjoyable to say the least. Very many people like to run the Church in a likesame manner.

However, when Jesus shows us His nail pierced hands and feet in the Scripture record, we are not invited to add into the story our own ingredients. Of course the liberal worldly theologians accuse Paul of doing just that: taking the simple message of Jesus and turning it to establish a complex dogma. Once Paul is thrown out, these same theologians are free to fabricate their own false temple in place of the Pauline orthodoxy. We are here today to proclaim that Paul, Peter and the rest have much more integrity than that! Like our psalmist who in psalm seventy-seven turned his heart towards heaven, so have all the saints who have the Spirit of God in their hearts.

Asaph here in Psalm Seventy-seven appeals to heaven. Especially he will remember the years when the right hand of the Most High were revealed in the Exodus history. He will remember the deeds, the miracles, the works and mighty deeds. Besides remembering, he will meditate on them and consider them in his heart.

One author recently suggested that the Christian faith is not translatable to the modern media of audio or video tape because of its abstract literary qualities which require us to meditate, to read, to study and well consider the teachings of the revelation record. We may certainly affirm that the Roman Church of the Middle Ages failed to adequately convey the faith in its cathedrals, carvings, stained glass windows and performing choirs and dramas. Of course, there is also the Second Commandment to consider whenever we are tempted to turn to any video "text" of the revealed Scriptures.

The revealed Word as our psalmist indicates, requires a careful consideration. And for that reason the ancient Hebrews were probably the first culture to attain almost universal reading ability for several centuries. And a lack of a sound education in our time may partially explain why many people today find the Christian faith so difficult to comprehend! As we meditate on the revelations of our heavenly Father, like Asaph here in verse thirteen we may learn that His ways are indeed holy. Just knowing that depreciates the value of any other fraudulent gods.

After all, our God is one who performs miracles, one who displays His power publicly. With that said, our psalmist rehearses in his mind the triumphant Exodus experience of the people of Israel much as we would consider the revealed experience of Christ. "You have with Your arm redeemed Your people. The sons of Jacob and Joseph". Imagine as Asaph does in this scene the grand scene where Israel was delivered from the pursuing troops of Pharaoh. Certainly, our minds may be filled with the images of Cecil B DeMille. And we may all find it difficult to visualize Moses in any other face than that of Charlton Heston. But our psalmist is not hampered with those celluloid images. He does not see Moses standing on the shore lifting his meager hands. No, look at the psalmist's focus on the working of God Almighty.

The winds and the waters mentioned in the Exodus account are known by our psalmist to be under the very guidance of God the Father. In spite of the visual images of water and thunder, lighting, whirlwind, and earthquake, our psalmist knows that it is God who has passed through the Red Sea even though his footprints were not seen. Do we see the hand of God in our lives even as the Psalmist did? Have you meditated on what God has done, and hoped for what He may do in the future? Our psalmist affirms that in and through the wind and the waves, God's people were led through the sea and beyond towards the promised land. The people are of His flock and by the hand of God's servants Moses and Aaron they were led. And here is where we may take heart today, we are not left alone to follow invisible footprints.

We, like the people of Israel have our own shepherds and undershepherds who must affirm humbly and honestly the orthodoxy of our psalmist. To you we bring not our own interpretations, and neither our own synthesis of worldly theology, but instead the revelations of Scripture alone which show us the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. May you here assembled today see through our poor meditations and pithy examples and comprehend the true love of God who has acted in history to reveal Himself in both Testaments. In times of trouble, like the psalmist, may you learn to meditate upon the greatness of our God instead of your worldly problems and concerns. I know, there are storms like that described here, there is lightning, thunder and rivers to cross! But our Father has a destination in mind for each and everyone whom he has called into His kingdom. May His revelation guide you to His haven of rest. Amen.