Reflections on Psalms 77

 Psalms 77(Contemporary English Version)

1. (A psalm by Asaph for Jeduthun, the music leader.) I pray to you, Lord God, and I beg you to listen.sermons
   
2. In days filled with trouble, I search for you. And at night I tirelessly lift my hands in prayer, refusing comfort.sermons
   
3. When I think of you, I feel restless and weak.sermons
   
4. Because of you, Lord God, I can't sleep. I am restless and can't even talk.sermons
   
5. I think of times gone by, of those years long ago.sermons
   
6. Each night my mind is flooded with questions:sermons
   
7. "Have you rejected me forever? Won't you be kind again?sermons
   
8. Is this the end of your love and your promises?sermons
   
9. Have you forgotten how to have pity? Do you refuse to show mercy because of your anger?"sermons
   
10. Then I said, "God Most High, what hurts me most is that you no longer help us with your mighty arm."sermons
    
11. Our LORD, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago.sermons
    
12. I will think about each one of your mighty deeds.sermons
    
13. Everything you do is right, and no other god compares with you.sermons
    
14. You alone work miracles, and you have let nations see your mighty power.sermons
    
15. With your own arm you rescued your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.sermons
    
16. The ocean looked at you, God, and it trembled deep down with fear.sermons
    
17. Water flowed from the clouds. Thunder was heard above as your arrows of lightning flashed about.sermons
    
18. Your thunder roared like chariot wheels. The world was made bright by lightning, and all the earth trembled.sermons
    
19. You walked through the water of the mighty sea, but your footprints were never seen.sermons
    
20. You guided your people like a flock of sheep, and you chose Moses and Aaron to be their leaders.sermons

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The psalmist here was going through a "dark night of the soul" in which he lay awake at night pondering some trouble that had overtaken him and life in general. He attributed his troubling thoughts to God who he thought had kept him awake to consider these things: "You have kept me from closing my eyes." (77:4) As he lay awake, he said, "I think of God; I groan; I meditate; my spirit becomes weak." (77:3) And yet, "I refused to be comforted." (77:2) As he thought of how life used to be, questions began to assail him: Had he been rejected by the Lord forever? Had God ceased loving him? Had God's promises to His people come to an end? Had God forgotten to be gracious? Had God's anger overridden His compassion?

Any who seriously seek after God will have times when they encounter these "dark nights of the soul." They can be pivotal points for us, for how we deal with them will determine whether we turn away from God or go deeper with Him. The motivation that drives our outcome will likely pivot around two questions: "What will I turn to if not to God?" and "What am I turning loose of if I turn from God?" Though these questions are not voiced in the psalm, they seem to be behind the psalmist's considerations. After pondering his situation and reflecting on past life and refusing to be comforted, a turning point comes in verse 10 when he decided to remember the Lord's works. It was in these memories that he considered the God he did not want to turn away from and God's works of wonders he did not want to cut himself off from.

Though verse 10 is a bit obscure, we recognize that he has a new thought, and the new thought is that "I will remember the LORD's works; yes, I will remember Your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all You have done and meditate on Your actions. " (77:11-12) And so he reflected on God's works of wonder in leading His people out of Egypt, and central in these thoughts was the crossing of the Red Sea. It was in these thoughts that he found comfort. He needed the night of dispair to become despondent enough to turn his thoughts from himself and to God. It brings to mind a well-known saying: "Occupation with self brings distress; Occupation with others brings discouragement; Occupation with Christ brings delight." Oswald Chambers has said it slightly differently: " To be occupied with self, of what can and cannot be done, brings distress and enslaves the soul. To be occupied with Christ, His glory and grace, brings freedom and conformity to His image."