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Psalm 77

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.

I cry out to God; yes, I shout.
    Oh, that God would listen to me!
When I was in deep trouble,
    I searched for the Lord.
All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven,
    but my soul was not comforted.
I think of God, and I moan,
    overwhelmed with longing for his help. Interlude

You don’t let me sleep.
    I am too distressed even to pray!
I think of the good old days,
    long since ended,
when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
    I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
Has the Lord rejected me forever?
    Will he never again be kind to me?
Is his unfailing love gone forever?
    Have his promises permanently failed?
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he slammed the door on his compassion? Interlude

10 And I said, “This is my fate;
    the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then 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 your mighty works.

13 O God, your ways are holy.
    Is there any god as mighty as you?
14 You are the God of great wonders!
    You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people,
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Interlude

16 When the Red Sea[a] saw you, O God,
    its waters looked and trembled!
    The sea quaked to its very depths.
17 The clouds poured down rain;
    the thunder rumbled in the sky.
    Your arrows of lightning flashed.
18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind;
    the lightning lit up the world!
    The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led through the sea,
    your pathway through the mighty waters—
    a pathway no one knew was there!
20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep,
    with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

Footnotes

  1. 77:16 Hebrew the waters.

Comfort in Trouble from Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds.

To the Chief Musician; according to Jeduthun [one of David’s three chief musicians, founder of an official musical family]. A Psalm of Asaph.

77 My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud;
My voice rises to God, and He will hear me.

In the day of my trouble I [desperately] sought the Lord;
In the night my hand was [a]stretched out [in prayer] without weariness;
My soul refused to be comforted.

I remember God; then I am disquieted and I groan;
I sigh [in prayer], and my spirit grows faint. Selah.

You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

I have considered the ancient days,
The years [of prosperity] of long, long ago.

I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit searches:


Will the Lord reject forever?
And will He never be favorable again?

Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?
Have His promises ended for all time?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah.
10 
And I said, “This is my grief,
That the right hand of the Most High has changed [and His lovingkindness is withheld].”

11 
I will [solemnly] remember the deeds of the Lord;
Yes, I will [wholeheartedly] remember Your wonders of old.
12 
I will meditate on all Your works
And thoughtfully consider all Your [great and wondrous] deeds.
13 
Your way, O God, is holy [far from sin and guilt].
What god is great like our God?
14 
You are the [awesome] God who works [powerful] wonders;
You have demonstrated Your power among the people.
15 
You have with Your [great] arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

16 
The waters [of the Red Sea] saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were in anguish;
The deeps also trembled.
17 
The clouds poured down water;
The skies sent out a sound [of rumbling thunder];
Your arrows (lightning) flashed here and there.
18 
The voice of Your thunder was in the [b]whirlwind;
The lightnings illumined the world;
The earth trembled and shook.
19 
Your way [of escape for Your people] was through the sea,
And Your paths through the great waters,
And Your footprints were not traceable.
20 
You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron [to the promised goal].

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 77:2 Lit and did not grow numb.
  2. Psalm 77:18 Lit wheel, possibly referring instead to the wheels on God’s chariot.