It's easy in life to be overwhelmed with circumstances beyond our control. The trials and seemingly insurmountable obstacles can be legion, and the most enthusiastic people can waver and faint from the onslaught. There are temptations within and pressure from without; physical weakness and illness can sap our resolve. There are always suggestions to doubt and temptations to quit. And when you aren't sleeping well and perpetually exhausted it just adds another level to the difficulty.
You might not be able to relate to this, but based on Psalm 77 I believe Asaph knew this very well. He was a man who cried out to God in his trouble and was heard. There were times when sleep eluded him, and in the darkness fears and doubts crept in. He had intimate and historical knowledge of God's goodness and mercy towards His people, but these aspects of God's character were difficult to reconcile with the present troubles Asaph experienced. He knew God was powerful and mighty to save, yet situations in his life unsettled him and brought him low. As he lay awake in his bed he wondered: has God forgotten all about me? Is He finished showing me grace? Are God's promises obsolete? Is God's anger keeping me from His mercy? It was only after Asaph stopped focusing on himself and his feelings and began to remember the goodness of God that doubts were swallowed up with overcoming faith and joy.
He wrote in Psalm 77:10-12, "And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." 11 I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds." Asaph reached back beyond his own personal experience and considered the great and glorious things God had done long ago. He hearkened to the days of his forefathers in Egypt and how God delivered them miraculously with a mighty hand from their oppressors. He remembered the grievous plagues God poured out upon the nation who enslaved his people, the mighty signs God worked among them. He thought about "the works of the LORD" and His "wonders of old" he was familiar with in scripture.
Yet Asaph did more than simply think about what God had done. Verse 12 says, "I will...talk of Your deeds." Asaph made a decision and commitment to speak with God concerning what He had done in prayer - and likely to others as well. It is good for us also to make this our practice, being brought to a place of rejoicing over our God's greatness, might, and power. Asaph went on to write in Psalm 77:14-15, "You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. 15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah" Remembering and speaking about what all God did in the past gave Asaph great confidence to approach God in his current difficulties, truly a great God beyond compare.
It is telling how Asaph mentioned Jacob and Joseph by name, for Joseph's deliverance from slavery and prison and promotion to ruler over all the land of Egypt is amazing. After Jacob and Joseph were reunited in Egypt, Joseph having saved all from famine by wisdom provided by God, Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) and gave them an equal portion among his own sons. Eventually (hundreds of years later) the children of Israel all departed Egypt as a single nation. God was faithful to His Word, merciful through the people for a long season were afflicted, gloriously brought them through the Red Sea, destroyed their enemies, provided for their needs, revealed Himself in power to them on Mt. Sinai, guided them with His presence day and night, led them through the wilderness, and brought them safe into Canaan. This is the God Asaph remembered and spoke of, and this is the God we also serve and worship. Is there any God who can deliver like this, who is gracious, merciful, keeps His Word, hears the cries of His people and delivers?
You might not be able to relate to this, but based on Psalm 77 I believe Asaph knew this very well. He was a man who cried out to God in his trouble and was heard. There were times when sleep eluded him, and in the darkness fears and doubts crept in. He had intimate and historical knowledge of God's goodness and mercy towards His people, but these aspects of God's character were difficult to reconcile with the present troubles Asaph experienced. He knew God was powerful and mighty to save, yet situations in his life unsettled him and brought him low. As he lay awake in his bed he wondered: has God forgotten all about me? Is He finished showing me grace? Are God's promises obsolete? Is God's anger keeping me from His mercy? It was only after Asaph stopped focusing on himself and his feelings and began to remember the goodness of God that doubts were swallowed up with overcoming faith and joy.
He wrote in Psalm 77:10-12, "And I said, "This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." 11 I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds." Asaph reached back beyond his own personal experience and considered the great and glorious things God had done long ago. He hearkened to the days of his forefathers in Egypt and how God delivered them miraculously with a mighty hand from their oppressors. He remembered the grievous plagues God poured out upon the nation who enslaved his people, the mighty signs God worked among them. He thought about "the works of the LORD" and His "wonders of old" he was familiar with in scripture.
Yet Asaph did more than simply think about what God had done. Verse 12 says, "I will...talk of Your deeds." Asaph made a decision and commitment to speak with God concerning what He had done in prayer - and likely to others as well. It is good for us also to make this our practice, being brought to a place of rejoicing over our God's greatness, might, and power. Asaph went on to write in Psalm 77:14-15, "You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. 15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah" Remembering and speaking about what all God did in the past gave Asaph great confidence to approach God in his current difficulties, truly a great God beyond compare.
It is telling how Asaph mentioned Jacob and Joseph by name, for Joseph's deliverance from slavery and prison and promotion to ruler over all the land of Egypt is amazing. After Jacob and Joseph were reunited in Egypt, Joseph having saved all from famine by wisdom provided by God, Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) and gave them an equal portion among his own sons. Eventually (hundreds of years later) the children of Israel all departed Egypt as a single nation. God was faithful to His Word, merciful through the people for a long season were afflicted, gloriously brought them through the Red Sea, destroyed their enemies, provided for their needs, revealed Himself in power to them on Mt. Sinai, guided them with His presence day and night, led them through the wilderness, and brought them safe into Canaan. This is the God Asaph remembered and spoke of, and this is the God we also serve and worship. Is there any God who can deliver like this, who is gracious, merciful, keeps His Word, hears the cries of His people and delivers?
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