Psalm 77

by Kevin Watson, Ph.D

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
1 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

This psalm can seem chaotic, and the ending ode to God by the creation seems out of place. But what this psalm reminds us is that everything, a long person searching for God, questioning absence, and coming a new understanding of God, is part of life lived as a creature of the Creator. Just as the creation responds in its way, humans respond in theirs. Doubt can give way to telling of God’s great acts in the past. But moreover, the song remembers that God calls on creation as the method of liberating the people. God’s gift and control of the creation is a blessing that always surrounds us. When life feels chaotic, God’s control of the universe holds firm. So with a change in perspective, my own situation in the world seems different, not because anything external has changed but because I have changed. This distinction makes Psalm 77 unique, for it is not concerned with external enemies or even the sin of the one crying to God. It speaks instead of a theological crisis and how these crises are often sorted out, not with direct answers to human questions but with a remembering and thus an altered understanding of humans and God. This lesson is as applicable today as it was to our ancient ancestors….

This one [Psalm 77] looks back on God’s great acts in the past and wonders why God refuses to act in the present. Times of crises create these thoughts. Who has not read the miracles in the Bible and wondered the same thing? Times of crises push each of us through the process in this psalm. The situation may not change, so our thinking about God and humans and the way the universe works needs to change. Transformation is often not dramatic but comes in the night when one tosses and turns, trying to discern one’s place in the universe and what it means to belong to God. - Beth Tanner