Reflections on Psalms 77-78

Psalms 77:7 (ESV)

[7] “Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

 

The first nine verses of this psalm express absolute hopelessness. The psalmist seeks God, yearns for God, pleads with God, all to no avail. There is no word from God, not answer, no relief. No one but God can bring comfort, and God is not comforting. Psalms 77:3-4 express his despondency and despair:

[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.

 

Nothing changes until the perspective of the Psalmist changes. Verses 10-11 pivot from a self-perspective to a God-perspective. They move from “Woe is me! When will God fix this?” to “I will remember the deeds of the LORD.”

[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.

 

In our dark hours it is amazing what changes occur when we simply stop thinking of ourself and center our thoughts on who God is rather than what he can do for me. I fear that I sometimes treat God more like a medicine cabinet than an eternal God. He is there to fix things, or to make me feel better when I have a pain or problem. When our thoughts turn from “When will God fix this and make me better?” to “Oh God, how mighty you are!” something changes in us.

 

Psalm 77 ends with the psalmist reflecting on the power of God. The very next psalm, Psalm 78, begins with these words, “Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!” Now, we cannot know whether those two psalms were written together, but God intentionally put them together in our Bible. The Psalms move from despair, to reflecting on who God is, to teaching others about the “the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done” (Ps 78:4).

 

Today, whatever darkness you are walking through, I challenge you to turn your thoughts from you to God. Don’t look to him to fix anything. Simply meditate on who he is. Reflect on his past works, and on the expressions of his greatness that surround us. Let your thoughts turn from you and your condition to the Majesty of God that shines through the darkest night. You might find that you even feel better. Or, to use C. S. Lewis’s words, you might find that you are even surprised by joy.