Episode 1926 - lesson 5 - Wednesday January 31 - Has his promise failed forevermore?

Read Psalm 77. What experience is the author going through?Psalm 77 begins with a plea to God for help that is filled with lament and painful remembering of the past (Ps. 77:1-6). The psalmist’s whole being is mournfully turned to God. He refuses to be comforted by any relief except the one coming from God.However, remembering God appears to intensify his anguish. “When I remember God, I moan” (Ps. 77:3, ESV). Hebrew hamah, “moan,” often depicts the roar of raging waters (Ps. 46:3). Similarly, the psalmist’s whole being is in a state of intense unrest.How can remembering God produce such strong feelings of distress? A series of troubling questions betray the cause of his anguish (Ps. 77:7-9): Has God changed? Can God possibly betray His covenant?The stark contrast between God’s saving acts in the past and God’s apparent absence in the present causes the psalmist to feel abandoned by God. If God has changed, then the psalmist has no hope, a conclusion that he struggles to reject.Meanwhile, the psalmist cannot sleep because the Lord keeps him awake (Ps. 77:4). This recalls other biblical characters whose insomnia was providentially used by God to advance His purposes (Gen. 41:1-8, Esther 6:1, Dan. 2:1-3). The long sleepless night causes the psalmist to consider the Lord’s past acts of deliverance but with new resolve (Ps. 77:5, 10).The assurance that the psalmist receives from God does not consist of explanations about his personal situation but rather a confirmation of God’s faithfulness and trustworthiness (like Job). The psalmist is encouraged to wait on the Lord in faith, knowing that He is the same God who performed miracles in Israel’s past (Ps. 77:11-18). The psalmist also realizes that “Your footsteps were not known” (Ps. 77:19, NKJV), recognizing God’s guidance, even in situations in which His presence is not obvious to human eyes. The psalmist acknowledges that God is simultaneously revealed and hidden, and so, he offers praise to the Lord’s mysterious and sovereign ways.Think about past times when the Lord worked in your life. How can that truth help you deal with whatever you are facing now?