We the People Remember God's Redemptive Works

Psalms 77:1-20
To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 I cried out to God with my voice—
To God with my voice;
And He gave ear to me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing;
My soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered God, and was troubled;
I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed.

Selah

4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5 I have considered the days of old,
The years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night;
I meditate within my heart,
And my spirit makes diligent search.

7 Will the Lord cast off forever?
And will He be favorable no more?

8 Has His mercy ceased forever?
Has His promise failed forevermore?

9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

Selah

10 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.

13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14 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

16 The waters saw You, O God;
The waters saw You, they were afraid;
The depths also trembled.

17 The clouds poured out water;
The skies sent out a sound;
Your arrows also flashed about.
18 The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind;
The lightnings lit up the world;
The earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was in the sea,
Your path in the great waters,
And Your footsteps were not known.
20 You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.

This song is a prayer of remembrance, a way to answer complaints with His answer in His time.  The psalmist cried out vocally to God as he sought Him in the midst of troubling circumstances, a pattern we can certainly follow as well as we walk imperfectly by faith.  There is persistence in praying day and night, remembering God’s faithfulness in His works as we complain, overwhelmed by a lack of immediate comfort.  If we stop there and think about these things, we see that we are a lot like the Levitical worship singer Asaph.  In our suffering we can then learn to reflect back on God’s faithfulness towards us in the past and have hope.  When we do as Asaph and think about the wondrous things our Lord has done over the years, meditating on them and talking with others of them, then we realize that worshiping God in His greatness encourages us in the bad times.  He does wonders and displays divine strength in His dealings with all His people, redeeming us as He did the first chosen ones who were Israel.  Think about that as well.  Then remember how God’s word recounts His works and character, His glory and faithfulness to we the people.  He parted the Red Sea, flooded and receded the waters on the earth, causes thunder to magnify His name and flashes lightning like fire to demonstrate His power as against Pharaoh and in other more ordinary times.  His mighty voice echoes as pealing thunder and lights up the world with power as He even shakes the world with quakes (Hebrews 12:26-28) until the final shakeup of the world in judgment.  We can remain unshaken by trust in our Lord as the psalmist, reflecting on His goodness to we His people in that magnificent and awesome power.   He is our King and we he people of His flock.  Only trust Him in all times, in bad as well as good circumstances.  Oh my soul, remember His redemptive work in Christ above all things, the culmination of all that He had done for His chosen people from the beginning in the garden of Eden at our creation.  He is ever faithful.