Psalm 77
Have you ever felt like God isn’t answering your prayers? Or maybe that He is not even listening? How do we maintain a steadfast faith in those trying times? How do we have hope? Well, this Psalm is a beautifully realistic description of the journey my prayer life has been on these last couple of months, and I think it answers those questions. It begins by saying:
“I cried out to God for help;
I cried out for God to hear me.
When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
At night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.” (1-2)
I mean… I feel you, Asaph… What now, God? I’m praying. I’m upset and I’m crying out to you. Why don’t I feel better?
“I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.” (3-6a)
God, I’m serving you. I’m spending time in Your word. I am tired, and I can’t sleep. I am longing to go back to those first moments when we started our relationship. I want to go back to the time when everything was fresh, happy, and joyful. I remember those days and I am HURT because I do not feel that right now. I do not even have words for what I am feeling right now.
“My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
Will the Lord reject me 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?” (6b-9)
When God seems silent in my prayer life or when He is giving me answers that I don’t like, these same questions often arise in my head. The author of this Psalm was hurting. He felt betrayed. He felt like God was hurting him. Have you ever felt like that? I know I have… So what do we do when these agonizing feelings creep upon us? Do we wallow in self-pity? Well, this next stanza is the turning point of this Psalm, and I think it can be the turning point in our prayer life.
“Then I thought, ‘to this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out His right hand.
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all Your works
And meditate on all your mighty deeds.’” (10-12)
When God seems silent, we are called to remember. Remember, when God was good? When he provided? When He won the ULTIMATE victory? Yeah, God is still in the business of being God. He keeps His promises. If He did it then, He is still capable of it. Even though we may be in the midst of our deepest sadness, God is good. He is working in that sadness to create something beautiful. The turning point only happens, though, when we choose to remember when God was good. We have to make that choice and act on it. Because God is a God of emotion, and feeling sad and upset is okay. But, it is how we react to that sadness that shows true Christian maturity. And when we choose to remember that God was good then our attitude changes:
“Your ways, God, are Holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the people,
The descendants of Jacob and Joseph.” (12-15)
If He did it before, He could do it again. Think back about your own testimony and how good God was then. Or, take a look at the Bible; it is all about God being good. If, at this point, you are still struggling with knowing whether or not God is good, take a look at His Creation:
“The waters saw you, God,
The waters saw you and writhed;
The very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down with water,
The heavens resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.” (16-19)
Nature even sings God’s praises in remembrance of when He created from nothing. God was good, He is good, and He always will be. He loved us then, He loves us now, and He always will. A song that came to mind when reading this scripture was “Another in the Fire” by Hillsong. It is beautiful because it is a reminder that God was there back in all of those Bible stories we remember learning in Sunday school, and He is still here and doing great and mighty things now. I encourage you to take a few minutes to listen to this song.
Living a life for Christ is not easy. We are going to get hurt. But, when we remember when God showed up when we remember the promises He made for us, and when we remember that He will keep His word and keep doing God things, we can give up that burden to Him. I may be weak, but my God is strong and good and He can carry this burden. He can carry your burden too. Will you remember when He was good to you? Will you give Him that burden?
Kristie Brothers
Lean into Jesus Ministries
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