Anyone who has been reading here for a while knows that I love the Psalms. In so many of them, we can relate to what the writer feels or is going through and then learn from them how to better relate to God. I find myself praying richer prayers when in the Psalms. This post is about a Psalm I think about when things aren’t going well and God seems distant. It’s Psalm 77, written by Asaph.
After an introduction, the Psalm begins with these 3 verses:
“I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints.”
Asaph “refuses to be comforted” and his “spirit faints” in “the day of [his] trouble.” Although he is actively praying to God, he still feels this way. He believes “he will hear me” and he meditates but still is troubled. Verses 4-9 continue this frame of mind, with Asaph asking in verse 9, “Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”
Then there is a transition in the Psalm where Asaph declares in verses 10 to 12:
“Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.”
What I love about this transition is how much the language Asaph uses changes. Re-read all of the verses above, or better yet, go read all of Psalm 77:1-12 and note how often Asaph refers to himself, with words like “I” and “my.” The repetition tells us Asaph is focused on himself, how he feels, what he thinks about it, what he’s trying to do about it. But what happens in verses 11 and 12? We begin to see “your” repeated, referring to God. Asaph pledges to change his focus to “your wonders,” “your work,” and “your mighty deeds.” After verse 12, “I” does not appear again, and I believe at this point Asaph began to feel better. Verses 13 to 15 read:
“Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.”
In other words, Asaph focuses on God, that He is “great,” that He “works wonders,” that He is mighty, that He is our Redeemer. This focus is reinforced by the “you” and “your” language. For the rest of the Psalm, he poetically recounts God’s works in the Exodus.[1] In the next-to-last verse, Asaph writes, “yet your footprints were unseen.” Although the Psalm begins with Asaph in distress, it ends with Asaph being confident that even if God is “unseen” that doesn’t mean He isn’t active. God is sometimes “seen” only in His effect on the world, the way the wind is only “seen” by feeling it or seeing it make other things move. Asaph’s faith is strengthened.
How did Asaph experience this change in attitude? By making a change in his focus. Asaph stopped writing and thinking about “I” and started writing and thinking about God and who He is and what He has done. The Psalm doesn’t clearly say this happened for Asaph, but I have often found that if I can make the same change in focus, my spirit no longer “faints” and “refuses to be comforted,” and I find myself more able to face whatever is in front me today.
Years ago, I learned a prayer outline acronym of A.C.T.S. The letters stand for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. In other words, the prayer begins with referring to God using words like “you” and “your” before getting to the parts that focus on “I” and “me.”
If you’re having trouble today, read all of Psalm 77 and try to follow Asaph’s change in focus, or maybe try starting an A.C.T.S. prayer. I know your God will be there to listen to you!
“I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.”
Amen
[1] And possibly Noah’s flood. The language could include both.
