Psalm 77 comments

 

Psalms 77:1 ¶  «To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, A Psalm of Asaph.» 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.

 

The psalmist here cries out to God and understands that God has heard Him. Even though he is waiting for God’s deliverance and it is not done quickly and the psalmist is suffering he remembers that he has been delivered before by God. I am reminded of a time in my life when something horrible was about to happen to me and I cried out to God and was reminded in my spirit that just a few months before I had been delivered from something that could have been much worse. I remembered God’s right hand on my life and was comforted.

 

Psalms 50:14  Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: 15  And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

 

I think also of this passage in regard to Christ’s emotional torment in His humanity praying in Gethsemane.

 

Matthew 26:36 ¶  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. 39  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43  And he came and found them

asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. 44  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

 

This Psalm, like many other passages, shows us that the writers of the Bible experienced all of the same concerns and anxieties about God’s interaction with them and with their reality that we do. It is a thing to contemplate as we struggle with a crisis in our lives and enemies surround us.

 

Psalm 77:11 ¶  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.

 

This last passage in this Psalm is a recognition of God’s awesome power. How could a person not aware of the information we have gathered about the mechanics of our universe describe something he nor we could barely understand. Well, very admirably I would say.

 

In his desperation the Psalmist remembers what God has done and what He is doing. We must remember that He controls every function of our individual cells, which have been described by scientists and philosophers alike as mini universes all their own but connected to a whole. We must remember as God makes so abundantly clear in the book of Job that not only is He in control of places and events man will never see on earth but also in the furthest reaches of space.

 

Psalm 145:1 ¶  «David’s Psalm of praise.» I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. 2  Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. 3  Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. 4  One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 5  I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. 6  And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. 7  They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. 8  The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 9  The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

 

    10 ¶  All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. 11  They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 12  To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13  Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. 14  The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. 15  The eyes of all wait upon thee; and

thou givest them their meat in due season. 16  Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17  The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18  The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. 19  He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20  The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. 21  My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

 

There is an implication in this Psalm that there are a great many spiritual, invisible, and incorporeal actions going on behind the scenes, causing things to happen that we see and the Lord God directs them all. Contextually we have a clear reference to God’s power in the Exodus Red Sea Crossing. The Psalmist brings this singular amazing event to mind when considering God’s awesome and unimaginable power and control over all reality.