Comfort in Trouble from Recalling God’s Mighty Deeds.
For the choir director; [a]according to Jeduthun. 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.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
In the night my hand was stretched out [b]without weariness;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, then I am disturbed;
When I sigh, then my spirit grows faint. [c]Selah.
4 You have held my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of long ago.
6 I will remember my song in the night;
I will meditate with my heart,
And my spirit [d]ponders:7 Will the Lord reject forever?
And will He never be favorable again?
8 Has His lovingkindness ceased forever?
Has His [e]promise come to an end [f]forever?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious,
Or has He in anger [g]withdrawn His compassion? Selah.
10 Then I said, “It is my [h]grief,
That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
Though the psalmist starts out confidently, that God will hear him, the psalmist was in a hard place. And if we’re honest, all of us can relate to a time when we felt like our prayers were hitting the ceiling. We stretch our hands out… and nothing happens, and there’s no comfort for our soul.
As he continues, he asks if God has changed, and while these are rhetorical questions, they reflect honest feelings in the middle of a raging storm. There’s no answer, not yet, but what we can see in this passage is that we are not alone. That is, our storm is not the first one, it will not be the last one.
Other people before us have experienced these trials, and people all around us are going through similar hardships. This is also a reminder to us when we make it through (when, not if). If you know someone who is going through the wringer, be there for them. Let them know they are not alone, put some boots on and step into their trench with them.
Regardless of where we are, we can take comfort in those around us. Don’t isolate and try to do life by yourself. Reach out and connect, be vulnerable, ask for help, offer help, and be the help. God has not changed, nor has our need for relationship that he hardwired in our hearts. Hang on to community, no matter what.