Psalm 77

This morning at Gatecrashers prayer I got to share Psalm 77 which I read and thought about in my devotional time yesterday.  So I had carried this Psalm around with me on my pocket PC (I love this little tool) and had been thinking about it. 

¹I cry out to God without holding back.
        Oh, that God would listen to me!
²    When I was in deep trouble,
        I searched for the Lord.
    All night long I pray, with hands lifted toward heaven, pleading.
        There can be no joy for me until he acts.
³    I think of God, and I moan,
       overwhelmed with longing for his help.
⁴    You don’t let me sleep.
        I am too distressed even to pray!
⁵    I think of the good old days, long since ended,
⁶     When my nights were filled with joyful songs.
        I search my soul and think about the difference now.
⁷    Has the Lord rejected me forever?
        Will he never again show me favor?
⁸    Is his unfailing love gone forever?
        Have his promises permanently failed?
⁹    Has God forgotten to be kind?
       Has he slammed the door on his compassion?

Then Asaph, the Psalmist goes on to say:

¹⁰    And I said, “This is my fate,
        that the blessings of the Most High have changed to hatred.”
¹¹    I recall all you have done, O LORD;
        I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
¹²    They are constantly in my thoughts.
        I cannot stop thinking about them.
¹³    O God, your ways are holy.
        Is there any god as mighty as you?
¹⁴    You are the God of miracles and wonders!
       

And so when I get down, I know that it is essential for me to remember to look back at all that God has done for me too, like Asaph does in this psalm.  And to remember not to just consider what God has done for me but for his people throughout history.  Sharing of stories of God’s intervention in our lives reminds us of the fact that God does not abandon us.  And having friends that we can share stories with provides tangible evidence of that fact.  Together we remind each other of the greatness and faithfulness of God.