Psalms 77:9 Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Read 77:1-20. We can identify with Asaph in this psalm because he is so human! First, he waited until he was in trouble to start praying. Second, when he did pray, he complained to God. Third, when he considered his present difficulties, he longed for the good old days when blessings were more numerous and things were better. And finally, he became a victim of the idea that God has cast him aside. Looking at the psalmist from the perspective of history, it is easy to see what went wrong. We pray when we become aware of a heartbreak, and we expect immediate answers. What we often forget is that most heartaches do not suddenly come into existence, full-grown, as it were. They have been developing for months, sometimes years. One of the most important procedures attached to praying is to give God time… time with other people, and time with ourselves. Faith trusts God for the answer even though it has not yet arrived.
I suspect that even in his distress, the psalmist knew the answers to his questions. Will the Lord cast off forever . . . favorable no more? Answer: I will never leave thee nor forsake thee! Is His mercy clean gone forever? Answer: His mercy endureth forever! Doth His promise fail forevermore? Answer: There hath not failed one word of all His good promise. Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Answer: Can a woman forget her child? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. The turning point for the psalmist–and for you and me–is when he turned from his miseries to God. Yes, God hasn’t forgotten you, dear friend! Go to Him in prayer and let Him tell you so.
There is no substitute for talking things over with God. Verbalize the situation to Him, just as you would to your dearest human friend. That’s what Asaph did, and he could report, I cried unto God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me.
This devotional was written by Dr. Robert A. Cook and used with written permission.
