Psalm 77
Life's experiences, both good and bad, are addressed in the Psalms. In the closing of his farewell message to the nation of Israel, Moses spoke of Israel's rebellion in the future and how it was going to impact their relationship with God. God would judge them and this would lead to questions, one of which would be, "Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?"
When life brings difficulties, questions arise. When the LORD is disciplining us deep questions come to mind.
Because of Israel's national sins, God brought His judegement upon them. The LORD's rebuke or correction is never a pleasant thing. It is done out of love but when we are experiencing it it is painful.
Revelation 3.19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
Hebrews 12.11 no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Pain, difficulties, whether from the discipline of the LORD or the enemy coming against us as he did with Job and Joseph, always causes questions to arise.
Psalm 77 contains many of these questions:
1. How Long is it Gong to Last? vs.7-8
On earth the feeling of the absence of the LORD's favor, love, promises, mercy and compassion can seem like an eternity.
The Psalmist Asaph is grappling with these issues in light of time and eternity. When we experience pain and difficulties the sense of time seems to be swallowed up by them. That is why when we are in deep grief we can find it hard to remember what happened in segments of time.
Sometimes words like, "You'll get through this," have little meaning because to us the pain seems endless. That is what Aspah was feeling. He is expressing in this lament what David struggled with when he wrote in Psalm 6.3 "My soul is in anguish. How long, O LORD, how long?"
2. Is This A Lapse on God's Part? - v.9a
Forgotten = cease to care, ignored our plight, has no pity.
We know from God's Word that there is never a laspe of His part!
Some have expressed feelings of spiritual frustration, many times, when someone they love is suffering. When there does not seem to be any reason, answers are hard to come by tot he questions which keep coming day after day.
3. Has God's Anger Overtaken His Compassion? -v.9b
Has He turned His Face away? II Chronicles 7.14 is Gods Prescription for a Sick Nation.
In the case of Israel, in the case of America, we can see that when we experience difficult times and these tough questions arise we ought to ask these things and turn to His Word.
In individuals we can experience that dark night of the soul, like the 10 years David spent feeling from Saul, the 13 years Joseph spent in Egyptian prison, for nothing they had done, rather they were faithful before they suffered and faithful during it. Job sustained horrible losses but it was not a result of disobedience.
I am sure it seemed like an eternity to them at the time. We don't know much about Joseph's thoughts during his nightmare but David graphically describes the depth of his struggle and the questions that arose. We know of Job's trials. In all of it he did not sin by charging God foolishly.
Solutions, not answers to the questions, rather hope for the soul are given in the remainder of Psalm 77. You will read similar things in the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 this week.
Appeal to God- v.10
Remember His deeds, miracles of long ago v.11
v.20 Like a Shepherd He leads us- not always easy for the sheep.
There are examples and songs of those who suffered and their perspective on it.
William Cowper is one of those.
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