Psalm 77:1-2

Psalm 77:1-2

Seeking the Lord when all else fails

A quick browse through this Psalm leaves me wondering if it is a prayer that it is being uttered here, or is the writer taking time out to reflect on events in the past and revealing his despair and how the Lord God brought him through a time of trial? In which case it is a testimony. I think we will settle for the latter explanation. 

Maybe we too can look back on events and periods in our lives when we were going though deep trials and we cried out to the Lord. If so, then we may well be able to testify to His provision and that He came to our aid in the midst of the darkness. We will identify with verses 1-9 as the Psalmist describes his woes, hopefully we will also remember how the Lord delivers His people and that we can apply these lessons from the past to our own situations. V10-20.

 

V1-2    It’s not an uncommon scenario in the Psalms; a beleaguered soul, at the end of himself, crying out to the Lord. We tend to think that we should all be absolved from such horrific experiences, there is even a brand of Christianity that promotes permanent wellbeing and positivity. For such people, depression and darkness are the lot of unbelievers and those who trust in the Lord should never be in anguish or suffer from despair. If they do, it is because of lack of faith or enemy activity.

Having suffered greatly many years ago, with deep depression and anxiety, I can say that although this was the darkest period in my life, it turned out to be one of the most fruitful. I discovered a God who walked with me through the valley of the shadow, and He taught me lessons of faith in that place, that will never be forgotten. 

So yes, sometimes we cry to God for help. Sometimes we beg Him to listen. Sometimes we fear that He is not listening, and we lay on our beds with our hands outstretched and plead with Him to help us. Others try to help, they offer platitudes and kind words but we know, deep down, that there is only one being who can help us. And He will if we seek Him. Hallelujah!

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