I cried out to God with my voice -- to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me.
--Psalm 77:1 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 19, 2013 of Psalm 77:1-9; Romans 15:14-33; Joshua 10:29-12.
Asaph sings of felt anguish, an evocative song that paints a picture of pain and dismay. He seeks out the Lord, reaching out his hand continually, without rest. The agony he feels is like his eyelids being held open - think of how miserable that would be! As his soul searches for God he questions whether the Lord still cares, whether He has turned his back, if He is withholding His grace, if He has completely shut off His mercies. Asaph is so troubled and filled with woe he cannot speak words out loud. So he parts his lips and screams. He gives voice to all his agony and anger, his fear and dread, his anguish and misery. A great primal shout erupts from the depth of his soul and explodes out his mouth... And God hears.
If this were a television show, text would have appeared across the screen reading, "This has been a dramatization." The above is not exactly how Asaph phrased the lyrics to his Psalm, but could quite possibly be implied. This scenario is what the song describes was playing out in his life when Asaph composed this song. And he wasn't just repeating himself when he doubled the phrase, "to God with my voice"; it isn't a misprint. No, this is an indication of urgency. It shows just how much pain he was in, how much hurt he felt to his very soul. It had gotten to be more than Asaph could take. He had been smacked around so much there was nothing left but to cry out to God. And God heard his cry. Asaph seems to calm down as he remembers how God led His people out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
We all experience a time like this, at some point in our life, when we are so troubled we can't even think straight. We try to struggle through it, fighting and losing, standing ground as long as we can but then falling back before the onslaught. Life just beats us down and we have nowhere left to turn. Everything feels so utterly hopeless. Our friends seem to abandon us; our loved ones can offer no useful help. We question how a merciful God could allow this to happen, could let it go on for so long, wondering what we ever did to deserve such punishment! The anguish and dismay wells up within us until it just bursts forth with a shout of, "God! Please help me!" And our Lord hears. Remember His faithfulness. Remember His promises and how He has kept them all. Remember His love, so great that He would Himself suffer and die for us. The pain we feel today is but a vapor in the wind. The pleasure and joy we will have once we're with our Lord in heaven will be for eternity. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.
Merciful Father, blessed Jesus, thank You for hearing our cry in the dark. Thank You for being there when we reach out to You for help. Thank You for comforting us and calming the anguish of our soul. Forgive us when we doubt You and Your exceeding mercy. We know it is only by Your wonderful grace that we can be saved. Thank You, Lord Jesus. In Your name, Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
If this were a television show, text would have appeared across the screen reading, "This has been a dramatization." The above is not exactly how Asaph phrased the lyrics to his Psalm, but could quite possibly be implied. This scenario is what the song describes was playing out in his life when Asaph composed this song. And he wasn't just repeating himself when he doubled the phrase, "to God with my voice"; it isn't a misprint. No, this is an indication of urgency. It shows just how much pain he was in, how much hurt he felt to his very soul. It had gotten to be more than Asaph could take. He had been smacked around so much there was nothing left but to cry out to God. And God heard his cry. Asaph seems to calm down as he remembers how God led His people out of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the Promised Land.
We all experience a time like this, at some point in our life, when we are so troubled we can't even think straight. We try to struggle through it, fighting and losing, standing ground as long as we can but then falling back before the onslaught. Life just beats us down and we have nowhere left to turn. Everything feels so utterly hopeless. Our friends seem to abandon us; our loved ones can offer no useful help. We question how a merciful God could allow this to happen, could let it go on for so long, wondering what we ever did to deserve such punishment! The anguish and dismay wells up within us until it just bursts forth with a shout of, "God! Please help me!" And our Lord hears. Remember His faithfulness. Remember His promises and how He has kept them all. Remember His love, so great that He would Himself suffer and die for us. The pain we feel today is but a vapor in the wind. The pleasure and joy we will have once we're with our Lord in heaven will be for eternity. Thank You, Jesus! Amen.
Merciful Father, blessed Jesus, thank You for hearing our cry in the dark. Thank You for being there when we reach out to You for help. Thank You for comforting us and calming the anguish of our soul. Forgive us when we doubt You and Your exceeding mercy. We know it is only by Your wonderful grace that we can be saved. Thank You, Lord Jesus. In Your name, Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen.
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