Psalm 77

PSALM 77

To the Chief Musician, to Jeduthun, a Psalm of Asaph

77 I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

² In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

³ I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

⁴ Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

⁵ I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.

⁶ I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

⁷ Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more?

⁸ Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore?

⁹ Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.

¹⁰ And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.

¹¹ I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

¹² I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.

¹³ Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

¹⁴ Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

¹⁵ Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

¹⁶ The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.

¹⁷ The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad.

¹⁸ The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹ Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.

²⁰ Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

PSALM 77

Prayer, Praise and Promises

A Daily Walk Through the Psalms

By Warren W Wiersbe

 

Verses 1 to 6 – Conversations in The Night

It doesn’t have to be dark outside for us to be in the middle of the night. Sometimes the darkness is in us. Discouragement moves in and we are like Asaph, who said “My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted” (verse 2). Some translations read “My sore was running in the night”. What do you do when your soul refuses to be comforted? 

Asaph tells us what we should do. First, talk to God, “I cried out to God with my voice – to God with my voice and He gave ear to me.” (verse 1). Someone has suggested that when you can’t sleep at night, instead of counting sheep, talk to the Shepherd. That’s what Asaph did. Sometimes approaching the Lord is painful, “I remembered God, and was troubled” (verse 3). What did he remember about God that troubled him? Perhaps he disobeyed a commandment or doubted a promise. Or perhaps he realised how holy God is and how sinful he is.

But talking to the Lord also bring reassurance “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times” (verse 5). In other words, God can be trusted. He has cared for you in the past and he will care for you in the future.

Second, talk to yourself, “I meditate within my heart and my spirit makes diligent search” (verse 6). Talk to yourself about the Lord. Examine your life and your Christian walk. Your discouragement will be replaced by a song. “I call to remembrance my song in the night” (verse 6).

When you feel discouraged get your eyes off your circumstances and onto the Lord. Also, examine your life, Have you disobeyed the Lord? Talk to him and let him encourage you. Then talk to yourself and encourage yourself with the things of God. He will give you a song in the night.

Verses 7 to 10 – Unanswered Questions

Asking questions is much easier than answering them. If you have children or grandchildren, you know how true that is. These verses contain a series of questions from a discouraged man. “Will the Lord cast off forever? And will he be favourable no more? Has his mercy ceased forever? Has his promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” (verses 7 to 9). Then he concludes by saying “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” (verse 10)

It’s normal to ask questions when we are going through difficulty and pain. David prayed “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22 verse 1). Jesus also quoted these words on the cross (Matthew 27 verse 46). When we are going through difficulty, we expect God to move in, help us and deliver us. And when we are waiting for that deliverance we get impatient. That’s when the questions come.

Don’t be afraid to be open and honest with God. Tell him how you feel and what you’re thinking. He would rather you be honest about your feelings that hypocritical. But remember this: As Christians, we do not live on explanations; we live on promises. Suppose God started to answer these questions. Will the Lord cast off forever? No. Will he be favourable no more? Of course he’s going to be favourable. Is his mercy completely gone forever? No. If God answered all of these questions, would it make any difference? It might ease your mind a little bit, but it wouldn’t really change your situation. Live by faith, not by sight. Trust the promises of the Lord. He will not change.

God does not always provide explanations for your difficulties, but he does provide the promises of his word. The next time you find yourself in the midst of discouragement, bring your questions and concerns to him in prayer. Then rely on the promises of his word. God knows your needs and will meet them.

Verses 11 to 20 – Holy and Hidden

Asaph refused to be comforted. He asked a lot of questions of the Lord. At the close of his discouragement, he came to 2 wonderful conclusions. First “Your way, O God is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?” (verse 13) And second “Your way was in the seas, your path in the great waters and your footsteps were not known” (verse 19)

What an unusual way to express faith! First, Asaph tells us that God’s way is in the sanctuary. His way is a way of sanctification and holiness. God leads us in grace and from grace to glory. He makes no mistakes – His way is the best way and always has been. If we are living in the Holy of Holies, we will be able to discover God’s way. If we are in the Holy Word of God, we can have a holy walk with him.

Second, God’s way is in the sea. His way is hidden. We may not understand all of God’s leading, but this we can know: God is leading. Asaph said: You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (verse 20). His way is in the sea, and if he has to, he will open up the sea for you. If necessary, he will help you walk on the water. But the psalmist came to the right conclusion. God’s way is holy, so obey him. His way is hidden, so trust him.

Perhaps you are going through a difficulty today and asking the Lord a lot of questions – why, how, when, how long – the questions Asaph asked. Let God bring you closer to himself by following his guidance.