Psalm Category: Individual Lament

Central Thought: God shows us how to cry out to Him—and how to receive consolation in those times.

When bad things happen, we naturally wonder why. In the desire for answers and relief, one response marks the Christian. He cries out to the Lord in his troubles (Ps. 107:4-6).

There is no “stiff upper-lip” silent resignation in the biblical record of the saints’ responses to their predicaments. “Out of the depths I have cried to you, O Lord,” is not a cold, stoical announcement of a little local difficulty (Ps. 130:1). This is the normal reaction of the soul to the “day of trouble” (v. 2). Psalm 77 opens up two interrelated themes: complaint (vv. 1-9) and consolation (vv. 10-20).

God first tells us what to do with our complaints (vv. 1-9). The opening words are the key: “I cried out to God with my voice” (v. 1). This ought to be our first and continuing stop. The results, how­ever, may not be encouraging. Prayer itself is not a cure-all. Crying to God can be tough sledding.

At first the psalm’s author, Asaph, had no comfort (vv. 2-3). The more he prayed and reached out to God, the more intense was his frustration. Consolation became more remote and his “spirit was overwhelmed.”

Then he had no sleep (vv. 4-6). We are troubled, and we look back to better days. Our minds rush desperately around the problem, but there is no answer. We run out of words, and only groaning and distress remain to rob us of the “sweet oblivious antidote” of sleep.

The net effect is to feel alone (vv. 7-9). What do you think when you cry to God and get no peace and no relief? Are you tempted to wonder if God has abandoned you or perhaps does not exist at all? For Asaph, this was when “his temptation was at its height” (Charles Simeon, Expository Outlines, vol. 6, p. 32). His every word reveals how crushed he feels. “Will the Lord cast off forever…be favorable no more? Has his mercy ceased…His promise failed.…Has he forgotten to be gracious…in anger shut up his tender mercies?” Is this not true to real Christian experience? When the Lord is slow to answer, we are quick to plunge into despair.

What do these verses tell us about how we should deal with our troubles? The answer is, Keep crying out to the Lord until He settles your heart and mind. Persevere through all the tears for as long as it takes!

God then shows how effective consolation is to be received from Him (vv. 10-20). It is first essential to understand the problem. Saying “This is my anguish” indicates two things (v. 10a). One is the acceptance of the realities of the situation. It is real. It is mine. There must be no denial. And—this is vital—no shifting the blame onto the Lord! Impatience will do this (Pss. 31:22; 73:13, 21). So will self-deception (Jer. 20:7). And, of course, so will plain old unbelief that refuses to take God at His word.

The other thing to notice is that Asaph doesn’t stay bogged down in the vortex of his distraught feelings but returns to the bedrock truth about God and His ways. Like Job, he turns from what he sees and feels to his faith about the truth of God: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15; see Hab. 3:17-18; Heb. 11:1). Are you a believer in Jesus? Then your consolation will begin when you exercise real faith in your Savior.

You are now in a position, second, to take practical measures to regain your spiritual equilibrium (vv. 10b-20). That is, to put into practice your “faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

≤ Remember God’s goodness to you—“the years of the right hand of the Most High” (v. 10b). Do you recall happy providences, covenant promises fulfilled, prayers richly answered and times of notable blessing?

≤ Consider God’s works (vv. 11-12). “Remember…meditate…talk.” His track record is written in His Word, upon His world, and can be discerned in your life.

Think about God’s provision of a Savior (vv. 13-15). His way is “in the sanctuary”—that is, in the provision of atoning sacrifice for sin. He redeems His people by His grace. Do you know Jesus as your Savior?

≤ Celebrate God Himself (vv. 16-20). He made and superintends His world, and He shepherds His people through the crises of life. “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20).

—Gordon J. Keddie