The Mind of Christ

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

77 I cry aloud to God,
    aloud to God, and he will hear me.
² In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
    in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
    my soul refuses to be comforted.
³ When I remember God, I moan;
    when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah

⁴ You hold my eyelids open;
    I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵ I consider the days of old,
    the years long ago.
⁶ I said,^[a] “Let me remember my song in the night;
    let me meditate in my heart.”
    Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷ “Will the Lord spurn forever,
    and never again be favorable?
⁸ Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
    Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹ Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

¹⁰ Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
    to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”^[b]

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹² I will ponder all your work,
    and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³ Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders;
    you have made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵ You with your arm redeemed your people,
    the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

¹⁶ When the waters saw you, O God,
    when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
    indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷ The clouds poured out water;
    the skies gave forth thunder;
    your arrows flashed on every side.
¹⁸ The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
    the earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹ Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.^[c]
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

We all have ups and downs and as Christians we are not promised an easy life, as a matter of fact we are promised the exact opposite. We are told that we will have many trials and hardships. The good news is that we will never go through them alone, our saviour, mediator, and redeemer Jesus Christ will walk through them with us.

This Psalm can be broken down in three sections, the first 9 verses give us the picture of our fleshly soul under extreme sadness and anguish. Just like in the opening few verses, we “cry out” to God but we feel like there is no response. We often think where is He when I need him most???? Has God forgotten his promises???? I do believe that this is the way most trials begin, with these sorta questions. I think back to when my best friend died unexpectedly, it was a hard time and I know I asked these exact questions….it is not easy living in a fallen world that is filled with pain that is tangible, thick, and all encompassing.

Thankfully the Psalm doesn’t end there!!!

In verses 10-15 we see the need to refocus our minds. I am reminded of Romans 12:1-2 where is says to “renew our minds” Essentially this is what we read in this Psalm. In verse 11 it is written twice to “remember” That word in the Bible is so cool, it is “Zakar” in the Greek and it is not just to think about what has been forgotten but it means that we are moved to action. In this case we are moved into “remembering” God and how he has “remembered” us. We remember His promises, His attributes, His love, His greatness, His Holiness, and most importantly how God sent Jesus FOR US!

The final section concludes in just this manner, we remember!!!!

OK we finally get to the good stuff! In this last section, verses 16-20 we get the hope that only comes through our God, The God!!! Verse 19 is my favorite verse, and it says “your footprints were unseen” The Psalmist is writing about God’s chosen people being saved by the parting of the Red Sea but says that Gods footprints are not seen. When times of anxiety and pain overtake us we are led to believe we are isolated and alone. This is a lie from Satan himself because we are not alone, at the end of Romans 8 we are told that “nothing” can separate us from the love of God.” Simply put, God is ALWAYS with us, He will never leave us.

Although we may not see his footprints, feel his presence, or hear His voice that doesn’t mean He is not for us, protecting us, and guiding us. Isaiah says it so well in chapter 41 verse 10…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. What good news we have in our Lord and Saviour!!! Never forget God is with you, we are NEVER alone. Our God and our Creator loves his people and his people “hear His voice, and he calls them by name.”