Seeking the Lord in times of trouble is a common thing to
do. Even the most godless of people will cry out to Him when adversity strikes.
And this is what we find when we read Psalm 77. In this particular Psalm, we
see a child of God crying out to Him in distress.
My voice
rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; In the night my hand was stretched
out without weariness; My soul refused to be comforted. When I remember God,
then I am disturbed; When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. Selah.
You have
held my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered
the days of old, The years of long ago. I will remember my song in the night; I
will meditate with my heart, And my spirit ponders (Psa 77:1-6).
The reason for his distress isn’t mentioned but it must be
something very dangerous or uncomfortable. Thus the Psalmist, much like us,
spent hours in prayer over it. He said, “my hand was stretched out without
weariness,” as he prayed diligently through the night. He is so distraught he
cannot sleep nor can he talk. The only solace he can muster is remembering old
memories when life was good (vv 5-6), back when he supposedly had no problems.
“Will the Lord reject forever? And
will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has
His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He
in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah” (Psa 77:7-9).
Take a moment to reflect on your life. Certainly you have
dealt with several problems that were uncomfortable and/or dangerous. Prayer is
an obvious choice in those times, but did you get the answer you wanted? . . .
each time? Curiously, even though we may burn through a night in earnest prayer
the comfort or answer that we want from God may not come. This is what happened
to the psalmist (see Ps 77:1-6). Further, notice the series of questions in vv
7-9. “Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has
His lovingkindness [covenant faithfulness] ceased forever? Has His promise come
to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious, or has He in anger
withdrawn His compassion?”
At first these questions sound ludicrous since they question
God’s promises (and aren’t we taught to never question God’s promises?). Why
would such questions even occur to a child of God? But even God’s children can
be easily confused. To be sure, God has promised Himself to us, He has promised
eternal life to us who embrace Jesus as Savior but He has not promised a
comfortable life. In fact, Christ calls us to die to self and follow Him (Matt
16:24-26). Followers of Christ often leave behind testimonies of their difficult
lives—some even ended in torturous martyrdom.
Then I
said, It is my grief, That the
right hand of the Most High has changed. I shall remember the deeds of the
LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your
work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like
our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength
among the peoples. You have by Your power redeemed Your people, The sons of
Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
The waters
saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were in anguish; The deeps also trembled.
The clouds poured out water; The skies gave forth a sound; Your arrows flashed
here and there. The sound of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; The lightnings
lit up the world; The earth trembled and shook. Your way was in the sea And
Your paths in the mighty waters, And Your footprints may not be known. You led
Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron (Psa 77:10-20).
Now, in verses 10-20, we see a transition begin to occur in
the author’s heart. He is beginning to rise above his trouble to look to the
“Most High.” He is forgetting his distress and getting lost in the greatness of
his Sovereign Master. He is transitioning emotionally as well, from depression
to happiness. His mind was self-absorbed but now becomes Christ-absorbed.
Instead of begging God to solve his problems, he remembers the works of the
Lord . . . the amazing things He did long ago . . . and His extraordinary deeds
(vv 11-13). Truly Yahweh is one of a kind and no one can best Him!
The Psalmist’s outlook has completely changed. No longer is
He questioning God; now He is savoring God’s character and power and wonder.
God’s parting the Red Sea is part of his meditation. “Your way was in the sea
and Your paths in the mighty waters” (v 19). He remembers that by His power He
redeems and shepherds His people “like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron”
(v 20) through the Red Sea unto redemption from the Egyptians.
In times of trouble, no matter how difficult, we can
remember the Lord’s wondrous works. By remembering Him we are comforted, by
remembering Him our minds are renewed and we begin to see how God uses trials
and difficulties to shape us. Lest anyone be anxious, remember, you are part of
God’s flock. This means He is caring for you and will care for you all your
days. As He parted the Red Sea and delivered His ancient children, He has
redeemed you as Christ grasped your hand and began to shepherd you. Let us look
to the Good Shepherd dearest one, no worries, only comfort!
