Psalm 77: 1a, 3b, 7, 10, 13a, 15, 19 (NIV)
I cried out to God for help; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint; “Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again?” Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.” Your ways, God, are holy. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.
Do you remember the Topsy-Turvy doll? A Topsy-Turvy doll is a double-ended doll, typically featuring two opposing characters. They are traditionally American cloth folk dolls which fuse a white girl child with a black girl child at the hips. Precise facts about their origins are rare, but as late as the 1950s, “Topsy and Eva” dolls were marketed by Sears as well as Montgomery Ward. While the idea most likely originated out of a racist environment, the stark contrast is a fitting symbol that represents today’s psalm: Sometimes we are people of great faith…and sometimes, we are not.
Psalm 77 takes us through a thought process that many a Christian has experienced. You experience a deep trial or set-back and wonder where the Lord is in all of it. Distress sets in and the nights get longer and harder. You try to pray and read God’s Word, but the darkness is not dispelled. Eventually, you force yourself to focus on how God has worked in your past, and you work to list out his great characteristics and promises. You remind yourself that you are in his great lineage, all the way back to Jacob and Joseph. Finally, you place yourself firmly into the hands of His providence, knowing that somehow…some way…He will get you through it.
That’s the pattern the psalmist takes, and a great roadmap for the rest of us, but sadly, far too many Christians struggle to remember there is another end to this “Topsy-Turvy Doll” we call life. We get stuck “playing” with one end and forget to flip the doll over to reveal a different character…a different way.
We try to take on our problems alone, in a way that seems right, but it lacks the power of God (Pr. 14:2) …as opposed to trusting in Him and choosing NOT to lean on our own understanding and limited abilities (Pr. 3:5-6). We panic about the future we can’t see…while forgetting to examine the past where God has shown himself faithful and trustworthy (Ps. 27:1). We choose fear over faith because we can’t see God at work in any obvious ways…as opposed to relying on His proven character and the fact that He works all things together for a greater good than just the immediate dissolution of our pain and suffering (Rom. 8:28).The Topsy-Turvy Doll gave the child the option to choose which side to focus on, and we have that same choice before us when it comes to how we engage the trials and tribulations that life eventually throws at us. It’s generally not as easy as flipping a doll over, to say the least, but it should be just as deliberate.
The Apostle Paul encouraged his young disciple (Timothy) to “Fight the good fight of faith” because that is what it takes (1 Tim. 6:12). We live in a war-torn world where pain and disappointment are facts of life and exercising our faith often times requires a bit of a fight. We must force ourselves to “flip the doll over” and choose faith over fear, knowing that, while we may not see God’s footprints, His path will lead us through the sea…through the mighty waters (v. 19).
