Psalm 77 Commentary
For all the answered prayers, and there are countless of them, there still remain nights of tears before the throne of grace. The psalmist is recounting one of those nights. His eyes were kept from closing.
It should be easier to say he couldn’t sleep but there is a deeper point here. The LORD has brought him to this point. The LORD who has brought him to this kind of night can as well make it good for the psalmist, like in the olden days.
Will the LORD reject forever? Has the LORD forgotten to be merciful? Impossible! The psalmist has enough evidence against the LORD: the miracles amongst His people, the deeds of power, and the redemption of the peoples of Jacob and Joseph.
The psalmist brings up thoughts of Israel’s experiences at Mount Sinai, the parting of the Red Sea, and the provisions under the leadership of Moses in the wilderness. But first are the miracles that humbled Pharaoh and saw Israel march out of Egypt triumphantly.
The thought here is that the LORD came through for Jacob when he was powerless. Probably also undeserving. The psalmist is raising his faith fist with the declaration that yes it is possible.
He will meditate on God’s interventions instead of his troubles. He will build his case around the evidence of God’s compassions as he presents his petitions to the LORD. He has a strong case. It is impossible that this kind of God can forget to be compassionate.
Prayer is always powerful when it depends on undeniable facts of God’s character as revealed in the scripture. And the scripture will have served its purpose when it reminds the saint of God’s unchanging nature.
The saint is invited to reflect on the many answered prayers, even in their own lives. Then meditate on the goodness and compassion of the LORD over endless generations of believers. Whenever the children of God have knelt down in prayer, the LORD has responded in loving-kindness. The more you meditate the shorter your list of problems becomes, and the more praise oozes out.
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LOVING SCRIPTURE 