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GOD STILL LEADS (Psalm 77)

If you have a bad day, there is always the hope that night is coming and you can rest. If you have a bad night, there is the hope that the sun will rise and you get a fresh start!

But what happens when trouble seems to last day and night? We use the expression “day and night” to symbolize something that appears to have no end. This is the attitude of Asaph in Psalm 77.

Verses 1-3: “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.”

In verse 2, he noted that his problems were present in the daytime as well as at night. There was no rest.

Verse 4: “Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak.” Have you ever been so bothered by something that you didn’t know what to say?

Verses 5-6: “I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.”

He was troubled day and night - having a hard time. This set in motion a series of questions.

Verses 7-9: “Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah.”

Can you identify his six questions? This is the prayer of a desperate man.

When you get consumed by something, eventually it seems to control your thoughts. Questions beget questions, and everything reproduces after its own kind. If you have anxiety and do not deal with it, you become more anxious.

That is the tone of Psalm 77 so far, but it changes in verses 10-12:

“And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”

When you feel bombarded day and night, the questions are everywhere and there seems to be no end, here is what you need to do:

Remember.

In verse 10 the psalmist determined to rehearse all of the good years and the things God did for him in the past.

He specifically stated that he would remember the “works” and the “wonders” of the Lord. Isn’t that the same thing? Maybe not. I think the wonders are indicative of the essence of God’s nature, and our own amazement at who He is.

If we can just go back and remember God, that will cut through some of the clouds and the darkness that we are living in.

Meditate.

This is mentioned in verse 12. For us, the best way is to meditate about what God has said. His Word reveals His work.

Sometimes our questions fill our minds to the point that we do not think about God as we should. You can try hard to cast out the wrong thoughts, but they must be replaced. You cannot have a void or vacuum in your mind. Crowd out those troubled or anxious thoughts with great thoughts of God.

Talk.

Notice the phrase “talk of thy doings” in verse 12. I believe that the mouth and mediation are connected. The Bible says in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night.”

There is a real link here. Whatever you talk about, you are going to think about, and vice versa. This progression from remembering to meditating to talking is natural.

I have found that whenever I am having a hard time, the best thing I can do is share my testimony with someone. I can tell a lost person how the Lord saved me, or share a verse with another Christian who is discouraged. As I do that, God starts pouring fresh grace, truth, mercy, and strength into my soul.

Remember what happened to Job? The Lord turned his captivity when he started praying for his friends (Job 42:10-12). When we minister to others, God ministers more deeply to our hearts.

Verse 13: “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?” It is so good to be in God’s sanctuary. This is what the Leviticus Psalms are all about. When you are there, such peace fills your heart and you are taken with the greatness of God.

Verse 14-18: “Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah. The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled. The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.”

This is a description of a storm. In the storms of life, the greatness of God is seen. Notice that God was leading and directing even when they were in deep water.

I love the description in verse 16 of the water being afraid. We look at the water and are afraid of it, but the water looks up and trembles at the One who can stand on the bow of a ship and say, “Peace, be still.”

You may be looking at your adversaries today and feeling troubled, but those adversaries have to tremble when they look at your God who can speak one word and change everything.

One of the keys to this psalm, which unlocks the spiritual application for us, is found in verse 19. “Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.”

I have marked in my Bible in verse 13 the phrase, “Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary.” So what is the “sea” mentioned in verse 19? It is uncertainty, restlessness, and the unknown.

The psalmist was saying that even in uncharted territory, he knew God was leading him.

The same God who led the children of Israel out of Egypt led them across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and then across the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Verse 20: “Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Never forget that God is leading. He may lead you in the sanctuary or the sea. But whether it is in quiet and comfortable places or unknown waters, know that He is leading.

Remember Him, meditate on Him, and talk about Him today.