A Fierce Prayer

A Fierce Prayer A few weeks ago my bible reading landed me on Psalm 77 and I wanted to share. It’s a fierce prayer from the writer.

And I noticed a pattern of sorts as I meditated on this scripture. A pattern that takes one from despair to hope renewed and joy restored:

1. Crying out

2. Seeking

3. Questioning

4. Remembering

5. Choosing

Psalm 77:1-2

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted.

A fierce prayer from a desperate soul and as Christian Women, can’t we relate? Oh we may try to portray ourselves as picture perfect on social media. We pick out that oh so perfect photo…you know…the one we are finally ok with after taking 10 shots of the same thing! I’ve been there…believe me! Off the subject, but a tip for us aging women of which I am one… When taking a pic for that perfect selfie..hold your phone up and tilt it down toward you and you won’t have to take as many photos. It’s all in the angle. Give it a try! Anyway…let’s get back on track😊

Seek Him Not only do we post the very best of us, but when someone asks how we are doing, without hesitation, we immediately say, “I’m fine or I’m great!” even though we feel crushed in spirit. We think to ourselves, “they don’t really want to know or if they only knew… But when we feel so burdened about something, many times we choose to seek our Lord as we feel safe in His presence and don’t hold back as we cry out in distress. We seek the Lord…and yet the writer continued… and my soul refused to be comforted. That’s an interesting thing to say, isn’t it? Didn’t he cry for help? Or in his lament, did he really only want God to know his situation with no real intention of being comforted? Was it like: Hey God! I am really not happy here! I’m so very anxious about my current situation. Do You hear me, Lord? For us as women, are we even asking anything from God or do we just want to throw a temper tantrum because we want so desperately for someone to “hear” us…understand us…feel sorry for us.

The Former Days The author continues: Psalm 77:3-5

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;  I mused, and my spirit grew faint. You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;

Ah yes, he remembered something in his growning. Remembered what though? And it made me think: Is it in the years past that can help us in this moment of today’s deep lament?

In the Questioning Listen to the next verses: Psalm 77:6-9

I remembered my songs in the night. My heart mused and my spirit inquired: “Will the Lord reject forever? Will He never show His favor again? Has His unfailing love vanished forever? Has His promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has He in anger withheld His compassion?” Wow! So many questions!  Just picture yourself pacing back and forth with worry and fret asking these questions and doubting the goodness of God. The One you try so hard to please. The One you give all your cares to.

Read it again adding the word “me” somewhere in each sentence that asks a question. For example, Will He never show ME His favor again?

His Focus Changed But with all the questioning, it seems that something changes in the mind of the writer. He remembers and exchanges thoughts of questioning to thoughts of what He knows to be true. I just love how verse 10 starts: Psalm 77: 10-15

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles;  you display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. He remembers! It’s as if while spouting off all his troubles, he suddenly remembers who he is praying to…God! God, who is holy, who preformed miracle after miracle as He protected and cared for His people.

Past Testimony My bible is the NIV Quest Study Bible and the side note beside this chapter says:

“ The past years, then, could serve as evidence that God protects His people. So the psalmist determined to view his present difficulties by appealing to the testimony of the past. If God helped before, why not now?”

Hope restored. So what is your past testimony of God’s faithfulness? What has God done in your life that you can look back on and remember? For me, I remember the mornings that came so abruptly after Rudy passed.  It was those mornings in March, 2018 that I would wake up and before I could even take a breath, grief punched me in the stomach as I remembered Rudy wasn’t there. I never wanted to be “That Mom” who lost a child.

The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed is spirit.                                                                                                                           Psalm 34:18 Does that not cause your heart to be filled with joy and your eyes filled with tears? It certainly was one of the verses that I still cling to as I know that my God heard my desperate cries.

You too, dear one, can draw strength for today remembering what God has done in your past. Remembering how you grew in your faith as God held you up.

It’s Totally a ChoiceI’m not saying that we aren’t bitter or angry with God, because I surely was. I mean this God I love can do miracles. He is the Great Physician, right? But I still left the hospital in agony over leaving without my son. Here we are left with a choice. And as we battle within our mind to process the thing for which we are lamenting, its in one of those moments…whether it comes today, a month from now, or even years…we choose to…

Let Go and Let God Choosing somewhere in a moment…between the thought of anger and thought of cursing God. We have a choice friend, to either stay in the bitterness or cry out to God… remembering His character and trust Him fully. We can cry out to Him just like the writer of Psalm 77 did. He started his fierce prayer by crying out for help, then seeking Him, then questioning Him, and then…He chose to remember and meditate on His works. And as he remembered, there were no more questions about God’s character. Instead, he asks a different question. In vs, 13 he concludes, “What god is so great as our God?” He proclaimed what he knew to be true! And it comforted and assured him that God does care even when He allows something that produces such suffering or sorrow or distress. I wish I could give you a hug and assure you that whatever it is you are facing will be ok. But you know what? I can encourage you to remember that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Pray fiercely to God. He knows…He sees…He cares..

Truly He does

And don’t forget to look back at your yesterday and remember what He alone hath done for you. And in this we can carry on! Our Hope Renewed and Joy Restored. May I pray for you? Dear Heavenly Father, In times of deep lament, may this precious daughter of Yours find rest for her soul as she prays fiercely.  She might question your goodness in it all, but Lord, be ever so close to her, assuring her of Your very real presence in her life. May she walk with you as she remembers…What god is so great as her God! And may her testimony fill her home with peace and spill over to other’s in her life. In Jesus’ most precious and powerful name. Amen. BitterSweet…absolutely Crystal