My Spirit Faints

I have several friends currently experiencing the dark clouds of discouragement, anxiety, or depression. In times like theirs, it can seem as if there is no end in sight for their suffering. They have cried out to God repeatedly, but the dark clouds don’t lift. This can add to the suffering. We yearn for God to intervene for us, to do something, but we can’t see evidence that He is at work. Discouragement, anxiety, or depression can then press in around us even more closely. For some, like Charles Spurgeon, it is a lifelong battle. For others, it may be a season.

As I read Psalm 77, I thought of my friends. Asaph, the psalmist, expresses what so many feel. Even if you haven’t experienced these feelings, you probably know someone who is or has.

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

1 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, “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.”

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.

20 You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron. [1]

I always discover new insights when I study God’s Word, but Psalm 77 had some surprises. Before we dig in, you should know the main surprise I found. According to Dr. Mark Futato’s commentary, Psalm 77 is inherently ambiguous. (Futato is an expert on the Psalms as well as a professor of Hebrew.) As I read other commentaries and articles written about Psalm 77, I could see how this ambiguity led to different understandings and applications.

“Because of its inherent ambiguity, this psalm can be read in three ways. First, it can be read as a psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance experienced—experienced in the recent past and rooted in the saving events of the distant past. Second, it can be read as a lament expressing deep hope rooted in the distant past. In this case the second stanza entails hope that God will work in the psalmist’s present circumstances just as he worked in the distant past. Third, it can be read as a lament with very little if any hope, in accord with the pattern of Psalm 88. In this case, the second stanza does not recall the distant past as a basis for hope in the present but fosters deep pain as a second example of the deep contrast between the way God used to work and the way he is not working in the psalmist’s present circumstances.

None of these readings can be ruled out, and thus the ambiguity, which seems to make the meaning of the text evasive, actually broadens the use of the text. In fact, it is quite easy to envision this psalm being read first in the third sense; then, as God’s word produces faith, in the second sense; and finally in the first sense, after God has shown that he does not reject his people forever, that his unfailing love is never gone forever, that his promises never fail, that he has not forgotten to be kind, and that he will never ultimately slam the door on his compassion.”[2]

I know that quote may have given some of the psalm away, but I think it is better to go into the psalm understanding the inherent ambiguity. When I read the psalm, I read it as a lament with hope that God will work presently as He has in the past (Futato’s second way of reading), but it was helpful to consider the other ways it could be read and how the three ways could build on each other.

Go back and read verses 1-3. We learn that Asaph is in a time of trouble. We don’t know what the trouble is, but it has led him to intensely seek God. He cries aloud to God (repeated 2 times), he prays through the night, he stretches out his hand (so desperate in seeking God that his outstretched hand does not grow weary), and his soul refuses to be comforted by anything but God’s response. Asaph is relentless in crying out to God.

Asaph states that God will hear him (vs 1). He is confident God hears his prayer which is why it is so difficult when it seems that God is not responding (vs 3). In fact, Asaph declares that when he remembers God, he moans, and when he meditates, his spirit faints. As a child when I had nightmares, I sometimes cried out in the dark. My mom would come running, turn the light on, hug me, and stay with me until I was comforted. But can you imagine how I would have felt already being scared in the dark, but my cries went unanswered? It would have added to my fears. I might have wondered if my mom cared. I might have even wondered if she was ok. When we experience the clouds of discouragement, anxiety, or depression, it is tempting to believe lies that God does not care and that He is not working on our behalf. Even when we know the truth, the times of waiting for God to act can add to the weight of discouragement, anxiety, or depression we are already experiencing.

In verse 4 we see Asaph has had a sleepless night. God has held his eyelids open. Added to the lack of sleep, Asaph is so troubled that he can’t even pray at this point. For some of you that may be difficult to imagine, but when you have poured your heart out to God and are waiting for His response all the while the suffering continues, you can run out of words. Or the trouble is so crushing, you don’t know how to express all that you are thinking and feeling. I did not read this in any of the commentaries, but I thought how circumstances are magnified when I have had little sleep. Trouble can be more overwhelming in our exhaustion.

Look back at verses 5 and 6. Asaph is remembering his own past. The phrase “song in the night” refers to better times. Remembering better times can encourage in our current circumstance, but sometimes it highlights the pain of our present trouble. However, I think there is a difference between remembering a better time and remembering God’s faithfulness, what He has done in the past. Dwelling on a better time can make us discontent wanting that ease or prosperity again. We then focus on the circumstance. When we remember what God has done in the past, we focus on our unchanging God.

In verses 7-9, Asaph asks some hard questions. God wants us to bring our hard questions to Him. These questions are directed at who God is and how He acts. Spurgeon said these questions strike at the heart of unbelief. Satan wants us to hear a yes in answer to each of the questions, to believe lies, but the answer to these six questions is an emphatic no! God will not spurn forever. We will experience his favor again. His steadfast love is steadfast. Nothing can ever separate us from it. God is faithful; He will surely keep His promises. God is unchanging, so He is still gracious and rich in compassion. We know that He is always working all things for our good, for conforming us to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). How he does this may not be the way we would choose, but we can trust His good work in us. We can also trust that He will complete it (Philippians 1:6). And we have the sure hope guaranteed by the Holy Spirit that this life is not all there is. We will dwell with God in eternal glory where there is no more suffering, clouds of discouragement, anxiety, or depression. No more tears. Choose to believe what is true even when circumstances don’t seem to line up. Jesus suffered and died in our place. He was forsaken by the Father, so that you and I would never be forsaken by the Father.

I think verse 10 is where the most ambiguity lies. Read some of the translations:

Then I said, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.” (ESV)

And I said, “This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.” (KJV)

Then I said, “It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed.” (NASB)

And I said, “This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.” (NLT)

So I say, “I am grieved that the right hand of the Most High has changed.” (HCSB)

In some of those translations, Asaph seems to be expressing that God’s hand has turned against him, but in some of the other translations it is more like he is appealing to God based on how God has acted on behalf of Asaph or Israel in the past. I don’t think we have to resolve verse 10 in order to keep moving with the psalm, so we will keep going.

Verse 11 marks a shift in the psalm both in style and mood. “This shift in style has the effect of bringing God’s presence into the psalmist’s situation (Mays 1994:252).”[3] In verse 6, Asaph said, “Let me remember…” He needs help. He’s struggling. Now he speaks with more resolve and the amount of mental thought is emphasized. “I will remember” (2 times), and “I will ponder and meditate.” Asaph is now remembering how God acted in the more distant past with the nation of Israel. He remembers God’s mighty deeds, His wonders, and His works.

Not only does Asaph remember what God has done, but instead of questions about God’s character (vs 6-9), he affirms what is true about God’s character. God’s way is holy (vs 13). He then poses a rhetorical question: “What god is great like our God?” There is no one. God works wonders and makes His might known (vs 14). He is Israel’s Redeemer (vs 15).

Asaph is now building truth upon truth and getting more specific in the process. In verse 16, he begins describing God’s redemption from the Egyptians in the crossing of the Red Sea. Asaph’s depictions highlight God’s power and sovereignty. You may have noticed that the descriptions in verses 17 and 18 are not in the Exodus 14 account. This could be a poetic description to emphasize God’s presence and power, but there is also good argument for this being literal, but it just wasn’t included in the Exodus account. The historian Josephus detailed it in his writings as well. Scripture most often is literal, so I lean towards the literal view of these verses.

What I found most interesting was the word whirlwind (vs 18). Typically, the Hebrew refers to a wheel and more specifically the noise of a chariot wheel. The picture in verse 18 is of God as the Divine Warrior fighting for Israel from His chariot. I can picture this as I read verse 19. God goes before Israel, His way was through the sea, His path through the great waters; yet His footprints were unseen.

Asaph ends this psalm with: “You lead Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” God used Moses and Aaron, but the image is of a shepherd. I don’t know if Asaph was familiar with Psalm 23 or not, but he still would have understood a shepherd’s care for the sheep. What an uplifting way to end this psalm – to remember how God led Israel not only through the Red Sea but through the wilderness and into the Promised Land, providing for them each step of the way. God tenderly cares and provides for His flock including those struggling through the clouds of discouragement, anxiety, or depression.

Reflection

1. List some of the things that have tempted you to discouragement, anxiety, or depression. Even if you have already cried out to God regarding these troubles, be persistent. Ask God to help you continue waiting for and trusting Him.

2. Are there some hard questions you have been afraid to voice to God? Talk to God about them, going to Him not as an accuser but seeking to grow in your faith.

3. List remembrances from your own past of God’s faithfulness, how He has acted, and who He is. Thank and praise God while asking Him to let these remembrances encourage you in your current circumstance.

4. List remembrances from Scripture or other’s lives of God’s faithfulness, how He has acted, and who He is. Thank and praise God while asking Him to let these remembrances encourage you in your current circumstance.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 77:title–20. [2] Mark D. Futato, “The Book of Psalms,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 256. [3] Mark D. Futato, “The Book of Psalms,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary, Vol 7: The Book of Psalms, The Book of Proverbs (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2009), 255.