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Psalm 77

God’s Mighty Deeds Recalled

To the leader: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A Psalm.

1

I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, that he may 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

I think of God, and I moan;

I meditate, and my spirit faints. Selah

 

4

You keep my eyelids from closing;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

5

I consider the days of old,

and remember the years of long ago.

6

I commune with my heart in the night;

I meditate and search my spirit:

7

“Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

8

Has his steadfast love ceased forever?

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

And I say, “It is my grief

that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

 

11

I will call to mind the deeds of the L ord;

I will remember your wonders of old.

12

I will meditate on all your work,

and muse on 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 have displayed your might among the peoples.

15

With your strong arm you redeemed your people,

the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

 

16

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

the very deep trembled.

17

The clouds poured out water;

the skies thundered;

your arrows flashed on every side.

18

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

19

Your way was through the sea,

your path, through the mighty waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

20

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.


14. Thou art the God that doest wonders. The Psalmist confirms the preceding sentence, proving the greatness of God from the wonderful character of his works. He does not speak of the hidden and mysterious essence of God which fills heaven and earth, but of the manifestations of his power, wisdom, goodness, and righteousness, which are clearly exhibited, although they are too vast for our limited understandings to comprehend. Literally, the words are, Thou art the God that doest a Wonder; but the singular number is here evidently put for the plural, an instance of which we have seen before. From this we learn that the glory of God is so near us, and that he has so openly and clearly unfolded himself, that we cannot justly pretend any excuse for ignorance. He, indeed, works so wonderfully, that even the heathen nations are inexcusable for their blindness. For this reason it is added, Thou hast made known thy strength among the peoples. This has an immediate reference to the deliverance of the Church; but, at the same time, it shows that the glory of God, which he had clearly and mightily displayed among the nations, could not be despised without the guilt of grievous impiety having been incurred.


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