Remember the Deeds of the LORD (Psalm 77)
First, take a moment to read Psalm 77:1-20. Then, consider the brief devotional reflection below.
In Psalm 77, Asaph is facing a dark and grievous hour of life. It is a time where the light seems to have gone out in his heart, and all his circumstances appear hopeless (v1-3). In this desperate state, Asaph has two choices:
1. He can allow present appearances to control his perspective of God and evaporate his faith.
He can allow himself to conclude that because he cannot right now see the good hand of God in the suffering he is facing, therefore, God must have abandoned him. If he allows his own limited and fickle feelings to control his view of God, he will soon be led to a state of unbelief and despair which will only serve to add sorrow to sorrow.
But there is also another option for this believer to take, and it it is the one which all who have sincere faith should rouse their soul to pursue in times of suffering and sorrow.
2. He can choose to judge his current situation not by his present fickle feelings, but rather by God's proven faithfulness in times past.
He can choose to remember "the years of the right hand of the Most High" (v10) and remind his soul that "as thou hast been, thou forever wilt be".
It is this second option which the psalmist chooses to pursue, and because of this Spirit-empowered choice, his soul finds renewed courage and fresh strength to endure the hardships which he faces. Rather than sinking into despair, his faith in God causes his soul to rise up from the grave of unbelief and to ride upon the mountains of confidence in his heavenly Father.
It is good for our souls to "remember the deeds of the LORD" (v11) and to "ponder all [his] work," (v12). A nearsighted faith is a faith which is easily deceived and assailed. But a faith which "makes a diligent search" (v6) to "meditate upon the mighty deeds" (v12) of our "holy God" (v13) is a faith which will not falter in the fight.
In v16 the Asaph mockingly speaks of the Red Sea by saying,
“When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.”
What is the psalmist capturing here? He is reminding himself (and us!) that it is not we who should be afraid our enemies, but our enemies who should be afraid of our God. Even the mightiest obstacles and most ferocious enemies are no match for the surpassing power of our Almighty God.
Finally, Asaph remembers how the unconquerable LORD of all "led his people like a flock”, through the wilderness, (v20). That is to say, that our Good Shepherd shall never fail to watch over the people of his love. Whether, in God’s holy providence, we find ourselves basking in the lush green meadows or wearily traversing the valley of the shadow of death, at all times we must remember this truth: Our loving, faithful, and mighty Shepherd is with us, even when “his footprints are unseen” by our feeble senses, (v19).