God Speaks
For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.
1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
Oh, that God would listen to me!
2 When I was in deep trouble,
I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
but my soul was not comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan,
overwhelmed with longing for his help. Interlude
4 You don’t let me sleep.
I am too distressed even to pray!
5 I think of the good old days,
long since ended,
6 when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
7 Has the Lord rejected me forever?
Will he never again be kind to me?
8 Is his unfailing love gone forever?
Have his promises permanently failed?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude
10 And I said, “This is my fate;
the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord;
I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts.
I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
13 O God, your ways are holy.
Is there any god as mighty as you?
14 You are the God of great wonders!
You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Interlude
16 When the Red Sea saw you, O God,
its waters looked and trembled!
The sea quaked to its very depths.
17 The clouds poured down rain;
the thunder rumbled in the sky.
Your arrows of lightning flashed.
18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world!
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led through the sea,
your pathway through the mighty waters—
a pathway no one knew was there!
20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Fr. Reardon proposes that this Psalm is written from the viewpoint of someone who is struggling to stay awake and talk his troubles out with God, not an insomniac. The psalmist longs for a sense of the LORD’s comforting presence but can’t seem to grab hold of it. He remembers times of joyous worship in the past and ponders the difference now. He rhetorically asks himself if God has abandoned him, but then he recalls all the wonderful actions of God on behalf of His people and himself. Then he addresses the LORD directly saying, “O God, Your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate Your awesome power among the nations. By Your strong arm, You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.” (Psalm 77:13-15 NLT) The psalmist (Asaph) gives a specific example: how the elements of nature responded to God’s commands as the Israelites, led by Moses and Aaron, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground as they escaped the Egyptian army.
*Christ in the Psalms, by Patrick Henry Reardon, pp. 151-152.
Prayer: Dear God of all comfort, please comfort anyone who is struggling to stay awake and talk his troubles out with You or is suffering from insomnia. Please give them a sense of Your comforting presence. Please help them to grab hold of it. May we all remember times of joyous worship in the past and ponder why things are different now. May we rhetorically ask ourselves if You have really abandoned us. May we recall all of Your wonderful actions on behalf of Your people and ourselves individually. O LORD, may we address You directly saying, “O God, Your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as You? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate Your awesome power among the nations. By Your strong arm, You redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.” (Psalm 77:13-15 NLT) May we also consider this specific example: how the elements of nature responded to Your commands as the Israelites, led by Moses and Aaron, crossed the Red Sea on dry ground as they escaped the Egyptian army.
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will remember this psalm the next time I am so desperate for God’s help and comforting presence that I stay up late seeking His help.
- I will share this psalm with someone I know who may be thinking that God has abandoned them.
- I will memorize Psalm 77:12-15 so that I can reassure myself and others of God’s power and love.
- I will make a list of God’s powerful interventions in the scriptures and in my own life so that I can comfort my soul and strengthen my faith (and others’ as well).
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.