Psalm 77

1 I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!
2 When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help.
Interlude

4 You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray!
5 I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs.
6. I search my soul and ponder the difference now.
7 Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?
8 Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?
Interlude

10 And I said, “This is my fate; the Most High has turned his hand against me.”
11 But then I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
12 They are constantly in my thoughts. I cannot stop thinking about your mighty works.
13 O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?
14 You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
15 By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Interlude

16 When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled! The sea quaked to its very depths.
17 The clouds poured down rain; the thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed.
18 Your thunder roared from the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world! The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your road led through the sea, your pathway through the mighty waters— a pathway no one knew was there!
20 You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep, with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.

Mary Hopkins sang a song many years ago:
Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end
We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd fight and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way.
La la la la...
Those were the days, oh yes those were the days.

Most of us can sing those words with great emotion. We recall pleasant days in our past...that filled our hearts with joy...and we miss them.

Our psalmist sang similar lyrics thousands of years earlier. "I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now."

So, what brought on this nostalgia for the "good old days" for our psalmist?" He says.
- I recall all you have done, O Lord; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago.
- You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations.
- By your strong arm, you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
- When the Red Sea saw you, O God, its waters looked and trembled!- You led your people along that road like a flock of sheep
And today?
"I cry out to God; yes, I shout. Oh, that God would listen to me!...all night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward heaven, but my soul was not comforted...I think of God, and I moan, overwhelmed with longing for his help."

Some interpreters state the writing of this psalm refers to the affliction of the Jews in Babylon, and others to the great and last distress of the church under Antichrist. Yet, on the face of it, our writer is simply describing events in his own life. It's not a "national" travail, but a personal one.
It can be both, and we should look at it that way.

And...this psalm is dissimilar to many others. This psalm does not end with verses proclaiming great faith in God's imminent return to Israel with great power and might. Instead our writer asks. "Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? Is his unfailing love gone forever? Have his promises permanently failed? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he slammed the door on his compassion?"
Not much to look forward to. No wonder he's looking back.

I've been there. How about you? Part of the nature of "nostalgia" (looking back) is that we don't have much confidence in our future. There are many reasons for that but mostly we have no confidence in the future because we don't believe we deserve God's gracious return. After all, We once enjoyed His powerful presence and, through our disobedience, we lost it. Why would God consent to give us another chance?

I think I know why: God never changes.

It is in God's nature to love us and desire to live with us. That will never change. If we are willing to provide a comfortable place for Him to dwell (Psalm 76) we should feel confident of His return.

Looking back is often a good thing. It reminds us of God's faithfulness. Looking back, however, is not how God intends us to live our lives. He wants us to live confidently in the present...knowing that He is the same, Yesterday, Today and Forever. He is not gone forever.

Live boldly out there today...