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sermonette: Song of the Missing God

Jarod Ritenbaugh
Given 04-Jul-26; Sermon #1883s; 13 minutes

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Today is American Independence Day. This day represents, of course, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, signifying the United States of America as a sovereignly independent nation free from the rule of England. Freedom is a strange concept. It implies that we are not bound to anything or anyone at liberty to do whatever we please, whenever we please. However, I think most would recognize that this is not entirely true in practice. Physical Israel, for example, was freed from their bondage to Egypt only to fall under the authority of the Almighty God. We in turn are slaves to righteousness. And in a more physical sense, we all serve someone. We're under the authority of the nation we reside in. Under the authority of a boss at our jobs, the institution we study at. Or possibly even a physical addiction to a substance or lifestyle rules over us. But what does freedom and in the same vein servitude look like for God's children who live under God's authority, but that authority is not tangible to the naked eye. We can intellectually understand that God is there, and we can even see the results of Him watching over us if we pay attention. But how often do you simply forget that he's really that involved in your life? Especially when it feels like everything is crashing down around you during hard times. I'm going to be taking a page out of my dad's books book today, and we will be discussing Psalm 77. We're familiar with the Psalm as page 59, unto God I lift my voice in our hymnal, and if you've ever paid attention to the content of this song, you'll realize it's quite the rollercoaster. Well let's back it up for a moment and get some of the context behind the song before we dive into it. Psalm 77 is in book 3 of the Psalms, which, if you recall, represents the summertime, both occurrences of the temple destruction. Coincides with the books of Leviticus and Lamentations and carries themes of anguish and mourning throughout. This is the book of the Psalms that Asaph, a Levite and David's chief musician, is the primary author of, writing 11 of the 17 Psalms in the book. ASAP must have been great at parties because most of his songs are downers. Naturally then, Psalm 77 is a lament. A rather odd lament where the first half is classic sorrow and misery, but the second half changes it up and challenges the hopelessness of the first half. I've heard of this referred to while studying as a meditative lament. With the background out of the way, let's get into the Solomon question. I'll be breaking it up into two halves, like I mentioned a moment ago, and we will start by examining verses 1 through 9 in Psalm 77. This is as usual, out of the ESV. Psalm 77:1. I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and He will hear me. 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. You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I consider the days of old, the years of long ago. I said, Let me remember my song in the night. Let me meditate in my heart. Then my spirit made a diligent search. Will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in his anger, shut up his compassion? After studying this passage repeatedly for this message, it became one of the more fascinating sequences in the Bible for me. It's so raw, emotional, and authentic. I think we'd all be in denial if we said we haven't had similar thoughts that God has abandoned us cross our minds during some hard times, whether those thoughts were bidden or unbidden. Aesaph here cries out asking if God has had enough and turned away from him. Even in the first three verses where he's distinctly more hopeful, he implies a little distrust of God. Verses 4 through 9 are interesting. It illustrates somebody who is driven to insomnia because they are so disturbed by the idea that God will no longer lend an ear in His time of trouble. He turns to remembering the past and what God has done for him before and what he did when his trust in God was greater, his song in the night, as he puts it. This is when those intrusive thoughts start coming in. Has God left him? Has God forgotten his love for him? Is he so angry that he will not save him? But then The light bulb switches on in verse 10. Let's go ahead and read that on its own because it's the verse in which the outlook of the entire song changes. First done Then I said, I will appeal this to the ears of the right hand of the Most High. Now I, I do not really like this translation, uh. At the bottom of my Bible, it gives an alternative one, where it is, then I said, this is my grief, but the right hand of the Most High has changed and His loving kindness is withheld. Personally, I think this makes a lot more sense thematically. Asaph has begun to pray to God and lays out to him what's troubling him, and as we will see in verse 11, what he plans on doing about it. Which leads us to the back half of the song. We'll start by reading just the first section of this half, verses 11 through 15. Verse 11, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What God is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders. You have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. I want to draw attention to how much ASAP's outlook has shifted in this section compared to verses 5 through 9. Just look at verses 5 and 11 in particular, the difference in tone between them. The focus shifts from Aesaph's sorrow and his agony to God and what God has done for him and his people. It's quite the change in perspective. We'll go ahead and read the rest of the psalm without too much comment, but more as an illustration on this shift in mindset, starting in verse 16. When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid. Indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water. The skies gave forth thunder. Your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind. Your lightnings lighted up the world. The earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea. Your path through the great waters, yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. This is all mostly to say God is the deliverer. God is very capable of doing whatever he wants whenever he wants. True freedom. He might not step in When we think he should, but when he deems it appropriate. He's not inattentive. Or blind to our struggles, he knows exactly what we can handle and when we need him to step in. And likely we will not see his hand unless we are paying close attention. I've already briefly alluded to it, but this psalm is the encapsulation of the emotions of going through trials. But more than anything, it illustrates the pitfalls that we can fall prey to if we aren't careful. I'm reminded of Job, specifically a life whose feelings before speaking to Job. I'll grab that verse quickly in Job 32. Just the first two verses. Job 32:1. So these three men ceased to answer Job because he was righteous in his own eyes. Then Elihu, the son of Bakhel the Bsite of the family of Ram, burned with anger. He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God. It's so easy to think the same way as Job. The whole, I did not even do anything wrong attitude. While we are wallowing about our pointless trial, God is really testing something greater, our faith in Him. That is the 2nd, and in my opinion, the greater lesson to draw from Psalm 77. That faith under fire is hard. As the saying goes, if it were easy, everyone would do it. Now faith is a hard thing to define. If we had to give a definition with a gun to our heads, I think most of us would simply say that it is trust in God, and I do not think there is anything wrong with putting it like that. But luckily for us, there is a handy definition in Hebrews 11. Which we will go to as well. The 1st 3 verses. Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, for by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. I want to grab one small section, a couple of verses down as well, verse 5 through 6. Verse 5. By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. Now before he was taken, he was commended as having pleased God, and without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him. We can see with these two sections of scripture that there is a passive aspect to faith, but it also has a strong active side. You can't just accept that God exists and is there. But you must also seek him out and form a relationship with him. We can see that reflected in Psalm 77. Beginning with Aaph bemoaning all his troubles and doing nothing about them. He certainly knows God exists and believes in Him. But it's without any active work on ASAP's side at the beginning. But he then turns and realizes he can't just sit still, and he goes and appeals to God in prayer and steadfast faith. This is the ultimate point of the song. That our carnality hates waiting and trusting in God. It hates the idea of having to step up to the plate and appeal to God in earnest prayer for our help, for help, because our ego wants to do anything it can to shift blame away from us and onto anything else, even God. To hearken back to my introduction. God gives us the freedom to make that choice. We can choose to turn away from God, blame Him for all our failures, or make the right choice and act in faith and humility. This is where the power of prayer comes in. It is the ultimate display of faith in God. To be able to approach him and talk to him personally and directly is such an incredible gift that it's difficult to comprehend the gravity of it. For we have Christ's own promise that we need only ask, and it will be given according to His will. You find that in John 16:24. With prayer as our key answer in mind, we are going to Conclude by reading. A section in Revelation 2. Which shows What God wants our mindset to be during these Psalm 77 type trials where everything is crashing down around us, and what the ultimate reward for endurance and faith is. Revelation 2, we are going to read verses 10 and 11. Verse 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. That you may be tested, and for 10 days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death. Stay faithful, everyone.