On and off, I’ve been trying to read and reflect on a Psalm a day. I’ll read the Psalm, pray, and then ponder a few questions:
- What is this Psalm about?
- What does this Psalm teach about God?
- How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
I’ll close the post with a simple prayer, trying to draw the themes together.
On the 11th of September 2024, here’s Psalm 77:
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
What is this Psalm about?
This Psalm records someone crying out to God in a difficult time, a person in distress (v. 2), groaning and faint (v. 3), and struggling to find the right words (v. 4). In that, it is a very honest Psalm. And as the Psalmist is honest, a switch seems to flip, in verse 6, and the Psalm then interlaces proclaiming truth about God with the way that those truths intersect with the challenges of life, metaphorically embodied in waters (v. 16), thunder (v. 17), whirlwinds and earthquakes (v. 18), and other things. As well as this, the verses proclaiming truth about God in relation to creation perhaps call to mind creation, the Exodus, and vital events in Salvation history.
What does this Psalm teach about God?
The inclusion of Psalm 77 in the canon perhaps teaches us that God listens to the cries of His people, even as it teaches us things more explicitly. We see among many things that God does things (v. 13-15), that God is holy (v. 13), and that God leads His people (v. 19 and 20). The God we read about in Psalm 77 is both over and above the storms and tumult of reality, and yet intimately relating to His people in amongst them. The God we read about in Psalm 77, present to the Psalmist, is the same God of Creation and Exodus, a deeply reassuring thought.
How does this Psalm connect to God’s people today?
I think Psalm 77 shows God’s peopel today the importance of being honest with God (And by extension/implication, each other!). But it isn’t just that. Verse 6 reminds us and challenges us today to remember and meditate on truth. And from that can flow praise – in and through and about and around even the hardest of things, even natural disasters. Thus, Psalm 77 encourages an honest faith in an awesome God.
A prayer drawn from Psalm 77
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Help me to remember the songs in the night, to meditate on and with you, and to rest in the truth of your mighty arms. Amen.
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