This week we turn from God’s
memory in Psalm 25 to our memory as
described in Psalm 77 – a psalm of
lament with a happy ending. The Psalmist begins in a dark place, then,
through his memories he comes out of the shadows of doubt through a confession
of faith. The role of his personal memory in this prayer journey is woven
throughout the Psalm. For the purposes of our study we will consider the role
our personal memories have in shaping, encouraging and helping to describe our
devotional lives.
The Psalmist gives us first an out-loud prayer. Jesus prayed
this way. Hebrews 5 reminds us, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up
prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to
save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” When the
lights go out for you, do you pray out loud? Read again the Psalmist’s words of
lament, “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. When I
remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah. You hold my
eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.”
It is the Psalmist’s own memories of God’s
actions and attributes that enable him to “seek the LORD.” The memories of his
actions are divided into days and deeds. The memory of the days of the LORD
that begins in verse 5 is followed by the memory of the deeds of the LORD
starting in verse 11. The attributes of the LORD are described in a confession
of faith that ends the Psalm, starting in verse 16. Redemption is accomplished,
applied, and confessed from his memory of the LORD’s actions and attributes.
This psalm gives practical, usable knowledge of God for comfort in dark places,
when “my soul refuses to be comforted.”
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