When God Seems to Withdraw From You (Psalm 77)

"I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me" (Ps 77:1). "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?" (Ps 77:7-9)

• Have you ever faced something so difficult and so heartbreaking that it's caused you to question God's goodness, presence and love (Ps 77:7-9; 22:1)?
  

1. What was the psalmist's present existential, experiential and emotional state (Ps 77:1; Heb 5:7)? What did he do in his distress (Ps 77:2)?
2. When he remembered God in prayer, did it help him (Ps 77:3; Gen 37:35; Jer 31:15)?
   
3. Did recalling personal experiences help (Ps 77:4-6)? 
• Was he blaming God for his insomnia and being speechless (Ps 77:4)?
• Is it a sign of a failure in one's faith to despair and to experience deep grief or calamity? 
4. Have you asked such questions (Ps 77:7-9)? What arouses and perpetuates God's anger (Ps 77:9; 38:1, 3)? Are such questions faithless (Ps 22:1)? Is expressing doubt about God's love [ḥeseḏ] and faithfulness bad?
5. Why does he reflect on and recall God's past deeds (Ps 77:10-12)? How has God expressed his holiness (Ps 77:13), deeds (Ps 77:14) and redemption (Ps 77:15)?
• What is the difference between the remembering of Ps 77:3-6 and Ps 77:11-15?
• How can a meditation on God's past actions help in one's present circumstances?
• How does his meditation on the past answer his questions (Ps 77:7-9)? What are the answers?
6. What imagery and event does he use to describe God's power and control over nature (Ps 77:16-19)? What is the conclusion or resolution in his journey of faith/trust in God (Ps 77:20)?

Psalm 77 is an example of God's people asking Him, "Why?" 

• Why do we suffer? 
• Why does God not come to help us when we are faced with adversity? 
• Why did God allow this terrible thing to happen? 
• (Why) Is God disappointed/upset with me? Punishing me? Has God forgotten me because of my sins?

A lament is a cry of desperation to God, a passionate expression of grief and sorrow. Psalm 77 may be read as an individual lament psalm. Lament psalms are meant for us to pray them ourselves – to use the words of the psalmist for our own prayer life.

Psalm 77 begins with a felt alienation from God and moves to a place of triumphant praise. In this and other psalms like it, faith is cultivated in the tension between human reality and the divine promises. The mood of this psalm changes from lamentation (1-9) to reflection (10-12) and ultimately to celebration (13-20).

Faith neither downplays the seriousness of the prevailing situation nor does it lower expectations of what we can expect from God. Rather than seeking to resolve this tension between present reality and divine promise by dialing down either element of the tension, faith is actually dials up both at the same time. The turning point comes as the psalmist reflects on the past acts of God. This is a classic Hebrew idea of walking into the future facing backwards. Reflection on the acts of God in the past (Ps 77:10-12, 13-20) creates faith to face the future.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Ps 77:1-10. (Read Psalm 77:1-10)

Days of trouble must be days of prayer; when God seems to have withdrawn from us, we must seek him till we find him. In the day of his trouble the psalmist did not seek for the diversion of business or amusement, but he sought God, and his favor and grace. Those that are under trouble of mind, must pray it away.

He poured upon the trouble; the methods that should have relieved him did but increase his grief. When he remembered God, it was only the Divine justice and wrath. His spirit was overwhelmed, and sank under the load. But let not the remembrance of the comforts we have lost, make us unthankful for those that are left. Particularly he called to remembrance the comforts with which he supported himself in former sorrows.

Here is the language of a sorrowful, deserted soul, walking in darkness; a common case even among those that fear the Lord (Isaiah 50:10). Nothing wounds and pierces like the thought of God being angry (Ps 77:9). God's own people, in a cloudy and dark day, may be tempted to make wrong conclusions about their spiritual state, and that of God's kingdom in the world. But we must not give way to such fears.

Let faith answer them from Scripture. The troubled fountain will work itself clear again; and the recollection of former times of joyful experience often raises a hope, tending to relief. Doubts and fears proceed from the want and weakness of faith. Despondency and distrust under affliction, are too often the infirmities of believers, and, as such, are to be thought upon by us with sorrow and shame. When, unbelief is working in us, we must thus suppress its risings (Ps 42:5, 11; 43:5).

References:

1. Tremper Longman III & David E Garland. Psalms. The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 2008. Psalm 77: A Remembrance of God's Greatness. God's Rejection of the Earth.
• A. Cry for Help (Ps 77:1-2).
• B. Remembrance of God in Hymns of the Night (Ps 77:3-6).
• C. Questions (Ps 77:7-9).
• B'. Remembrance of God's Mighty Deeds (Ps 77:10-12).
• A'. Confidence in God's Help (Ps 77:13-20).
2. Tim Keller. The Songs of Jesus. 2015. Psalm 77.
   
1. The importance of meditation (Ps 77:1-4).
2. Asking questions (Ps 77:5-9).
3. Arguing your case (Ps 77:10-15).
4. The supreme exodus (Ps 77:16-20).
3. Gerald Wilson. Psalms Vol 1. The NIV Application Commentary. 2002.
4. John Goldingay. Psalms for Everyone, Part 1. 2013.
5. Derek Kidner. Psalms 1-72, 1973. Psalms 73-150, 1975. Psalm 77: Musings in two moods.
1. Cries of distress (Ps 77:1-3).
2. Searching of heart (Ps 77:4-9).
3. Courage from the past (Ps 77:10-15).
4. "Thunder of thy power" (Ps 77:16-20).
6. Alec Motyer. Psalms by the Day. A New Devotional Translation. 2016. Psalm 77: Memories in a Time of Trouble.
   
• A. When prayer, remembering God, does not help (Ps 77:1-3).
• B. When recalling personal experiences does not help, only prompt questions (Ps 77:4-9).
• C. Memories that bring confident assurance (Ps 77:10-20).
7. Robert Altar. The Hebrew Bible. A Translation with Commentary. 2019.
8. John Stott. Favorite Psalms. 1988.
9. A troubled heart. The troubled heart remembers God's great work. A cure for hopeless depression. Questions in grief.

Trouble is an inevitability of life, and we tend to reflect on our troubles at night when trying to sleep. We sense our despair and desperation and turn to God for help. But it seems that God is very distant, and our prayers receive no answer (Ps 22:2). What do you do when many hours of prayer and meditation do nothing to comfort the soul?

The greatest men face deep discouragements. Elijah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist fought discouragement and struggled with lapses in faith as they lay in the cave, prison cell, or at the bottom of a deep well in the dark of night. But their souls received no comfort from their prayers and meditations. The psalmist stretches out his hands for God's comfort and blessing but receives nothing. As his thoughts turn to God, his distress only intensifies. At this point the faithless give up on God and rely on cheap worldly comforts of food, drink, or drugs to make it through their troubles. But Asaph steadfastly continues his meditation and prayer.

How would you try to comfort someone who is feeling like the psalmist? Would you point to the past, present, or future? Is there an event in your past that you call to mind in times of trouble? Do you ever catch yourself living in the past? Do you ever long for the "good old days?" Were they really that way, or is your hindsight viewed with rose-colored glasses? Could these days someday seem like "the good old days?" Were there any "good old days" in your relationship with God? How do you keep your relationship with God fresh so that "these days" could be "the good old days?"

  

Psalm 77 is one of those remarkable psalms that begins in a place of felt alienation from God and moves to a place of triumphant praise. It may represent the distress of the nation as a whole. In this psalm and others like it, faith is cultivated in the tension between human reality and the divine promises.

In Psalm 77 the reality for the psalmist is that he feels that God has forsaken his people, probably because of external military oppression. The divine promises are implied in the historical precedents of the past. Here we see that faith neither downplays the seriousness of the prevailing situation nor does it lower expectations of what we can expect from God. Rather than seeking to resolve this tension between present reality and divine promise by dialing down either element of the tension, faith is actually dialing up both at the same time. It seems that what is happening here is that the Psalmist is seeking to provoke the faithfulness of God by strong appeals to the key covenant precedents. This is faith at work and it is profound and instructive.

The turning point of the psalm comes as the psalmist begins to reflect on the past acts of God. This is a classic case of the Hebrew idea of walking into the future facing backwards. Reflection on the acts of God in the past creates faith to face the future. The events being referred to here are of course those of the Exodus. The Psalms have been the primary source for the worship traditions of both Judaism and Christianity going back to ancient times. It is often described as the 'heart' of the bible. From lamentation to songs of jubilant praise, from battle cry to benediction, from exclamation of awe and wonder to reflections of tranquillity and perfect wisdom, Sons of Korah provide a compelling portrait of the world.

Major imprecatory Psalms include Psalm 69 and Psalm 109, while Psalms 5, 6, 11, 12, 35, 37, 40, 52, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 79, 83, 94, 137, 139 and 143 are also considered imprecatory.

[Our minds instinctively reflect upon the mighty works of God in the past. Our attention is drawn away from our present state of trouble to the power, holiness, and love of God for His people. After the third verse, we will completely forget our own condition as we lose ourselves in deep meditation upon the character and work of God.]