DISTANT-Psalm 77

Old Testament, Psalms, Sermons

Questions on Psalm 77. Psalm 77: FeelingFarFromGod powerpoint. When You Feel Far From God.

 
“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me” (Ps 77:1). “Will the Lord reject 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?” (Ps 77:7-9)
 
When God Seems Far from You. In Psalm 77 God’s people keep asking Him, “Why?” (Ps 77:7-9)
  • Why do we suffer? 
  • Why does God not come to help us when we are faced with adversity? 
  • Why did God allow this terrible thing to happen? 
  • Is God disappointed/upset with me? Punishing me for my sins?
  • Has God forgotten me because of my sins?
Quotes: “When we find ourselves in the ‘dark night of the soul,’ let Psalm 77 be our guide. It teaches us that, even in our despair, God is at work, leading us to a deeper trust in His unfailing love.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
  • “Psalm 77 invites us to pour out our hearts before God, expressing our doubts and fears. It’s a powerful reminder that honest lament is a crucial part of our relationship with God.” – Walter Brueggemann.
  • “The psalmist’s experience in Psalm 77 reminds us that God’s ways are often beyond our understanding. It encourages us to trust in His sovereignty even when we can’t comprehend the reasons behind our trials.” – Charles Stanley.
  • “Psalm 77 reminds us that our emotions and doubts are not obstacles to faith but opportunities for God to reveal His steadfast love and unchanging character.” – A.W. Tozer.
  • “Asaph was trusting ‘God to do God’s work,’ and so should we, no matter where His providence has placed us at the moment.” Spurgeon.
  • “In our deepest moments of despair, we find solace in the fact that even the psalmist, in Psalm 77, questioned and wrestled with God. Yet, in the end, he turned to Him for comfort and found refuge in the faithfulness of God.” – Unknown.
A lament is a cry of desperation to God, a passionate expression of grief and sorrow. Psalm 77 may be read as an individual lament psalm. Lament psalms are meant for us to pray them ourselves – to use the words of the psalmist for our own prayer life.
 
Psalm 77 begins with a felt alienation from God and moves to a place of triumphant praise. In this and other psalms like it, faith is cultivated in the tension between human reality and the divine promises. The mood of this psalm changes from
  1. lamentation (1-9) to 
  2. reflection (10-12) and ultimately to 
  3. celebration (13-20).
Faith neither downplays the seriousness of the prevailing situation nor does it lower expectations of what we can expect from God. Rather than seeking to resolve this tension between present reality and divine promise by dialing down either element of the tension, faith is actually dials up both at the same time. The turning point comes as the psalmist reflects on the past acts of God (Ps 77:10-12). This is a classic Hebrew idea of walking into the future facing backwards. Reflection on the acts of God in the past (Ps 77:10-12, 13-20) creates faith to face the future.
  1. The Irritations of a Depressed Soul (Ps 77:1-9).
  2. The Intention to Refocus the Mind (Ps 77:10-15).
  3. The Illustration of God‘s Past Blessings (Ps 77:16-20).

Matthew Henry on Ps 77:1-10. (Read Ps 77:1-10)

 

Days of trouble must be days of prayer; when God seems to have withdrawn from us, we must seek him till we find him (Ps 77:1-2). In the day of his trouble the psalmist did not seek for the diversion of business or amusement, but he sought God, and his favor and grace. Those that are under trouble of mind, must pray it away.

 

He poured upon the trouble; the methods that should have relieved him did but increase his grief (Ps 77:3-6). When he remembered God, it was only the Divine justice and wrath (Ps 77:7-9). His spirit was overwhelmed, and sank under the load. But let not the remembrance of the comforts we have lost, make us unthankful for those that are left. Particularly he called to remembrance the comforts with which he supported himself in former sorrows (Ps 77:10-12).

 

Here is the language of a sorrowful, deserted soul, walking in darkness; a common case even among those that fear the Lord (Isa 50:20). Nothing wounds and pierces like the thought of God being angry (Ps 77:9; 38:1-2). God’s own people, in a cloudy and dark day, may be tempted to make wrong conclusions about their spiritual state, and that of God’s kingdom in the world. But we must not give way to such fears.

 

Let faith answer them from Scripture. The troubled fountain will work itself clear again; and the recollection of former times of joyful experience often raises a hope, tending to relief. Doubts and fears proceed from the want and weakness of faith. Despondency and distrust under affliction, are too often the infirmities of believers, and, as such, are to be thought upon by us with sorrow and shame. When, unbelief is working in us, we must thus suppress its risings (Ps 42:5, 11; 43:5).

 
References:
  1. Tremper Longman III & David E Garland. Psalms. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. 2008. Psalm 77: A Remembrance of God‘s Greatness. God’s Rejection of the Earth.
    • A. Cry for Help (Ps 77:1-2).
      • B. Remembrance of God in Hymns of the Night (Ps 77:3-6).
        • C. Questions (Ps 77:7-9).
      • B’. Remembrance of God’s Mighty Deeds (Ps 77:10-12).
    • A’. Confidence in God’s Help (Ps 77:13-20).
  2. Tim Keller. The Songs of Jesus. 2015. Psalm 77.
    1. The importance of meditation (Ps 77:1-4).
    2. Asking questions (Ps 77:5-9).
    3. Arguing your case (Ps 77:10-15).
    4. The supreme exodus (Ps 77:16-20).
  3. Gerald Wilson. Psalms Vol 1. The NIV Application Commentary. 2002.
  4. John Goldingay. Psalms for Everyone, Part 1. 2013.
  5. Derek Kidner. Psalms 1-72, 1973. Psalms 73-150, 1975. Psalm 77: Musings in two moods.
    1. Cries of distress (Ps 77:1-3).
    2. Searching of heart (Ps 77:4-9).
    3. Courage from the past (Ps 77:10-15).
    4. “Thunder of thy power” (Ps 77:16-20).
  6. Alec Motyer. Psalms by the Day. A New Devotional Translation. 2016. Psalm 77: Memories in a Time of Trouble.
    • A. When prayer, remembering God, does not help (Ps 77:1-3).
      • B. When recalling personal experiences does not help, only prompt questions (Ps 77:4-9).
        • C. Memories that bring confident assurance (Ps 77:10-20).
  7. Robert Altar. The Hebrew Bible. A Translation with Commentary. 2019.
  8. John Stott. Favorite Psalms. 1988.
  9. A troubled heart. The troubled heart remembers God’s great work. A cure for hopeless depression. Questions in grief. Comfort in the chaos.
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