When reading Psalm 77, I was reminded of the song “Do It Again” by Elevation Worship and its lyrics proclaiming God’s faithfulness.
“Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence
You’ve never failed me yet”
What first caught my eye in this Psalm though, before being reminded of this song, was verse 4, “You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray!” cries the psalmist.
That’s relatable. Have you ever been in a season of feeling lost, hopeless, or distant from the Lord? I know I have, and it’s a normal thing for us as Christians to go through seasons where our feelings about God may change. In those times, I remind myself, or rather God reminds me, of this John Piper quote:
“My feelings are not God. God is God. My feelings do not define truth. God’s word defines truth. My feelings are echoes and responses to what my mind perceives. And sometimes – many times – my feelings are out of sync with the truth. When that happens – and it happens every day in some measure – I try not to bend the truth to justify my imperfect feelings, but rather, I plead with God: Purify my perceptions of your truth and transform my feelings so that they are in sync with the truth.”
Here, we see a correlation between John Piper’s desire to see God’s Word as truth and the psalmist proclaiming God’s Word over themselves in Psalm 77. As we read more into the Psalm, we see the psalmist recall all of what God has done, remembering God’s wonderful deeds and even recalling God’s miraculous moment of parting the Red Sea. Both John Piper and the psalmist are going back to Scripture for encouragement, truth, and comfort.
As the psalmist recalls this miraculous moment, we see their demeanor change. The writing goes from crying out to God to praising God and proclaiming truth. This is a beautiful example of how to be faithful when we find ourselves in challenging seasons. God’s Word is truth and truth has power. When we proclaim truths about God, we restore our beliefs to what we know for sure:
God never has and never will fail us.
So, if you find yourself in a season of feeling lost, hopeless, or distant, I am praying over you that this Psalm would be an encouragement of God’s truth poured out over you. When reading this Scripture, I pray you are reminded of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and mercy. I pray that God would purify your perceptions of your truth and transform your heart to be in sync with the powerful, timeless, holy truth of Scripture.
Questions for reflection:
- What Scripture can you remind yourself of when struggling with your feelings towards faith or God? The psalmist chose the parting of The Red Sea, but what is your favorite miracle to recall?
- Do you have a community around you to remind you of God’s goodness and unfailing love when you can’t see it for yourself? If not, I recommend looking into a Hope Group or getting involved at Hope. We are built for community, and we’re better together!
- What is God showing you in these Psalms? It may be different than the things that God highlighted for me. Ask him about it!