I Cried Unto God Series

“I Cried Unto God”

Psalm 77:1-20

7-16-2023 AM

We are once again looking at prayers in the Bible.

Psalm 77 is a prayer that we do not know the origin of nor do we know the reason or occasion to which it was written.

It was delivered to the chief Musician and was called a psalm of Asaph

Superscription.—“To the chief Musician, to Jeduthun, a Psalm of Asaph.”

Asaph was the founder of a family of singers, who went by the name of the sons of Asaph, even in the time of Isaiah, even in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.

All the sacred compositions of the members of this family were designated songs of Asaph, just as in the title of the 62. Psalm, Jeduthun stands for the Jeduthunic choir.

Although we do not know the author of this Psalm it is certain that the Holy Spirit is the foundation and inspiration and we rejoice that we may look at this text today.

The Psalm is set in three sections and we will look at each one.

First: Man’s Trouble And Deliverer, Psa_77:1-3.

Second: The Godly Soul In Distress, Psa_77:4-9.

Third: The Godly Soul Rising Victorious, Psa_77:10-20.

I. Man’s Trouble And Deliverer

Psalm 77:1-3 “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.”

Our first look into this text we see a cry for help.

To whom does he cry?

To Jehovah God.

I love that when we are in distress that we have the opportunity to call out to God.

I do believe that there is not one person here that can say that they have never had troubles.

We all have so this prayer means something.

Vs. 1 “I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.”

Voice – to speak out loud. To make a noise.

We need to be willing to pore out our hearts and lives to the only one who can do something about it.

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

When the phone system was being built the number you called was relayed through an operator and you would tell them a letter number combination and then you would be connected to the party in which you needed to speak to.

God’s number is Jeremiah 33:3

If we call HE (God) will answer. No angle will pick up the prayer and relay a message to God.

He is never too busy for His children.

And he gave ear unto me. – I’m am so excited that God gives His ear to me.

He will never not hear us.

He will never neglect us

Imagine God when we call upon Him tells everyone else, “Step back my child is speaking and this is important.”

Vs. 2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted.

Trouble - distress, affliction, adversity, anguish, tribulation, adversary

I believe we see so many descriptions because God does not limit when and how we may call unto Him.

My sore – hand, or part, portion.

To be filled with pain.

This is not just physical but also spiritual as well.

In the night - Why would the Psalmist mention “in the night?”

Because when we are alone is when the devil will start his run of “pity me” and we have no one to comfort us.

Satan works best without light so we should expect his attack when we least expect it.

Ceased not - to grow numb, be feeble,

My soul refused to be comforted - to be sorry, be moved to pity, have compassion

Vs. 3 I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah.

Remembered - to recall, be reminded, to mention

I complained - to put forth, mediate, muse, commune, speak, complain, ponder, sing

I have been told many times that we should not ask God “why.”

Yet we have this Psalm that tells us that the man who is going through his trouble is calling unto the Lord and complaining.

My spirit - (of the living, breathing being in man) seat of emotions.

Overwhelmed - to turn aside, to turn aside, to be feeble or faint.

This man is simply beside himself with nowhere to go.

But GOD!

Selah - a technical musical term probably showing pause, or interruption