Psalm 77

Life is really hard. Somehow, most of us, when we came to Christ, didn’t realize just how hard it would be. We heard Jesus’ victorious words, “I have overcome the world,” but we never told the words that proceed them, “In this world you will have struggles” (John 16:33).

The problem is that we have an over-realized eschatology. That is, one day there will be no more tears or pain or sorrows. But not yet. The new earth will be full of perfect joy. But not this present one. This present one will pass away, as Romans 8 tells us, “the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (8:21). All of creation longs for that day when all things will be made new and evil will be destroyed forever. But this present earth, still enslaved because of humanity’s sin, is marked by heartache and suffering. And, here is what really scares us, there are times where God feels so distant. We often wonder if God is not listening to our cries for help because He is so slow to act.

Which brings us to Psalm 77. In this psalm, Asaph is crying out in distress to the Lord. But he gets no answer. Asaph feels as if God has rejected him and abandoned him. He reached out to God and found nothing. That is the deepest fear of my heart. I have given my whole life to the service of God. What could be worse than at the moment of my greatest need to be left alone?

But how does Asaph respond to his unrequited prayer? This is the lesson for me. Verse 11 declares, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord.” He moves from his own story to God’s story. The story of the redemption and re-creation of humanity as the image of God for the glory of God. He remembers God’s faithfulness in the past and clings to the promise of God’s ongoing faithfulness.
When I think I’ve arrived as a Christian, expecting no more pain and hurt, I, like Asaph, wonder what happened to my God. Where did he go? Why isn’t he doing anything? But I’m not there yet. I’m not at the destination, I’m still on the journey. And while on this journey, I will place my story within God’s knowing that his faithfulness will endure forever.