Catholic Commentary on Psalm 77

"I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old." (Psalm 77:11)

From Despair to Memory

Psalm 77 is one of the most honest prayers in the Psalter. The psalmist is in acute distress: he cries to God through the night and is not comforted. His soul refuses to be consoled. He asks the most painful questions a believer can ask: has God forgotten to be gracious? Has his steadfast love ceased? Has he in anger shut up his compassion? These are not questions of atheism. They are the questions of a person who believes deeply and whose belief makes the silence unbearable.

The turn comes in verse 10 and it is entirely an act of the will, not a change in circumstances: I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Memory becomes the bridge over the abyss of present experience. He cannot feel God now, but he knows what God has done: the Red Sea parted, the waters trembled, the earth shook. The one who did those things is still the God of this night. The Catechism calls this kind of perseverance in prayer the victory of faith: choosing to trust based on the history of God's acts even when present experience yields nothing (CCC 2742).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, in the dark nights of faith, the discipline of remembrance is what keeps the soul alive. What has God done for you? Name it. Write it down. In the moments when prayer returns nothing and the silence is suffocating, return to what you know he has already done. He who parted the Red Sea is still present in the night you cannot see through.

Prayer

Lord God, when your silence feels like abandonment, teach us the prayer of Psalm 77: I will remember your wonders of old. Sustain our faith with memory until feeling returns. You led your people through the wilderness and left no trace of your footsteps. Lead us through our wilderness too. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

77
In the Day of Trouble I Sought the LORD
For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.
 
1 I cried out to God;
I cried aloud to God to hear me.
2 In the day of trouble I sought the Lord;
through the night my outstretched hands did not grow weary;
my soul refused to be comforted.
3 I remembered You, O God, and I groaned;
I mused and my spirit grew faint.
Selah
4 You have kept my eyes from closing;
I am too troubled to speak.
5 I considered the days of old,
the years long in the past.
6 At night I remembered my song;
in my heart I mused, and my spirit pondered:
 
7 “Will the Lord spurn us forever
and never show His favor again?
8 Is His loving devotion gone forever?
Has His promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has His anger shut off His compassion?”
Selah
10 So I said, “I am grieved
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”* 77:10 Or “To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
 
11 I will remember the works of the LORD;
yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will reflect on all You have done
and ponder Your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
You display Your strength among the peoples.
15 With power You redeemed Your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah
16 The waters saw You, O God;
the waters saw You and swirled;
even the depths were shaken.
17 The clouds poured down water;
the skies resounded with thunder;
Your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind;
the lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
 
19 Your path led through the sea,
Your way through the mighty waters,
but Your footprints were not to be found.† 77:19 Or were unknown
20 You led Your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

*77:10 77:10 Or “To this I will appeal: to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

†77:19 77:19 Or were unknown

Public Domain