“Yesterday”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, March 21, 2022

Psalm 77 (Forward, p. 51) CEV p. 601

Today’s psalm puts me firmly in mind of the famous Beatle song by Paul Mccartney and John Lennon, “Yesterday”:

“Yesterday

All my trouble seemed so far away

Now it looks as though they’re here to stay

Oh, I believe in yesterday.”

In not exactly the same words, that is the refrain of today’s psalmist, Asaph. He remembers, with fondness, all the things that God ‘used’ to do:

“Our Lord, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago. I will think about each one of your mighty deeds” (verses 11-12);

“You alone work miracles, and you have let nations see your mighty power. With your own arm you rescued your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph” (verses 14-15).

But now, alas, all of that seems to be in the past. God, or at least, His help, seem nowhere to be found:

“Because of you, Lord God, I can’t sleep. I am restless and can’t even talk. I think of times gone by, of those years long ago” (verses 4-5);

“Each night my mind is filled with questions: ‘Have you rejected me forever? Won’t you be kind again? Is this the end of your love and your promises? Have you forgotten how to have pity? Do you refused to show mercy because of your anger? (verses 6-9);

“Then I said, ‘God Most High, what hurts me most is that you no longer help us with your mighty arm’” (verse 10).

Asaph is clearly most upset, most disillusioned, most frustrated with God apparent inaction and lack of caring, and yet he does not give up on God. I find this faith in God, this continued trust, to be most bracing and most inspiring. With our own frustrations with national and international affairs, and even with the uncertain state of our own lives and our own churches, we might well wonder where God is in all this. Where is the God who once performed such great and wonderful deeds? Do we not, at times, wonder along with Asaph, whether He deserted us? And yet Asaph calls God back to remembrance, reminds God of His love, His mercy and His promises, and calls upon His help. May we, you and I, do likewise. Amen.

Forward notes: ”You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (verse 20).

“The writer of Psalm 77 goes through a thought process. There are cries for help and expressions of doubt. The psalmist wonders if this distress will go on forever and if God has abandoned him. Then, the psalmist shifts to having more confidence that God will allay these fears and agonies, recalling that God delivered the Israelites from slavery by the hand of Moses and Aaron. Through that remembrance comes trust in God. Will the psalmist then trust those in the community to act on God’s behalf?

“I have been in situations where I have felt alone and afraid. I have asked, ‘God, why don’t you help me?’ In waiting for the proverbial thunderbolt from the sky, I have sometimes overlooked the kindness of friends and been blind to offers of help from those who, I am now certain, were acting as God’s hands on earth.

“We are wise to remember that there need not always be a mighty act of deliverance from our distress. Often, that deliverance comes from those around us.”

Moving Forward: “Where did you see God’s love today?”