Psalm 77

of Asaph.

This is the sixth of twelve Psalms bear the name of Asaph

1 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 holds 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 my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

7 Will the Lord cast off forever? and will he be favorable no more?

8 Is his mercy clean gone forever? 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 does 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 lead thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

What actions do you take when everything around you seems to be falling apart? In this psalm Asaph cries out to the Lord. Whatever the situation might have been it seemed to him that the Lord had abandon him. Look at the questions he states in his prayer:

Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?

I have also asked these questions before God. One thing I have realized as I have age is that there will be some hard and difficult times in life. Many of us will face issues that many of the Old Testament saints faced in their life. This psalm gives us the answers to these times and to the questions above. The first step is to mediate on the things God has done “Then I thought”. In this mediation we must make our appeals directly to God “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High”. I must remember the deeds of the Lord. I look back and the focus usually starts with how God has been moving in my life.

Studying this psalm, I realized several refers to the time of Israel being in Egypt and the desire to be free.  God granted them this freedom when they flee Egypt.  The night before their departure God gave them instructions on saving their firstborn.  This event became the Passover which is an event that is observed every year in the Jewish community.  The Passover is a picture of Christ’s work on the cross as the Passover lamb for the entire world.  To the Christian we have our Easter which we observed as our Passover.  As I look back over the last seventy years of my life, I am amazed how much God has taken care of me in my needs.  One thing I have realized in this time frame is the presence of God in my life.  It is this personal relationship that we can have with God that makes Christianity different from all the other religions of the world. 

Verse six “I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.” reveals the importance of having committed to memory some of the great hymns of faith in a believer’s life.  In my library I have several books on the background of the stories that inspired many of the great hymns of faith.  In times of trouble these songs can be a source of strength that a believer can draw upon to help him or her make it through the night.  However, I am afraid so many believers have been sidetracked by the cares of this world that many have forgotten the words and the emotions behind these songs in the night.  Learn the historical background behind these songs as well as the words themselves, so that in a time when everything seems lost you can find the peace that passes all understanding that comes from singing these songs in the night.