Psalms  ◦   Chapter 77

1I cry out to God — Help me, please help me!
I cry out to God — O hear my plea!

2When I was in trouble, overwhelmed and afraid, I ran to the Lord;
all night I prayed with my hands reaching out toward heaven,
but my heart resisted his comfort.

3I thought of you — your methods of love and truth — and I groaned;
I brooded, clinging to my selfish desires,
and I became even more overwhelmed.

4You opened my eyes to my true condition;
it was so upsetting I couldn’t talk about it.

5My thoughts went back to better times,
to years long ago;

6at night I remembered my songs from the past.
My heart searched deeply;
my mind thought intensely about the differences.

7"Will the Lord let me go my own way forever?
Will he never be pleased with my choices again?

8Has his perfect love disappeared from my heart completely?
Has his promise to heal me been permanently hindered?

9Has God forgotten his merciful plan?
Has he given up on me and withheld his remedy?"

10It sickens me to think that I could obstruct
the plan of the Creator God to heal me.

11I will change my focus and remember the works of the Lord;
yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.

12I will meditate on your achievements — your methods of love and truth
; I will consider the meaning of all you have done.

13Your methods, O Creator God, are holy — the perfect design for life.
No god is as great as you!

14You are the God who built the universe — the creator of reality itself;
you have revealed your power over nature to the entire world.

15With your great might you delivered your helpers —
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16The waters encountered you, O God,
the waters encountered you and awaited your command;
the very depths of the sea convulsed at your bidding.

17The clouds poured down rain,
thunder rumbled through the sky,
and lightning flashed back and forth.

18Your voice was like thunder from heaven,
your presence like lightning brightening the world;
the earth trembled and quaked at your approach.

19You walked right through the sea,
forging a path through the raging waters,
though you left no footprints.

20You led your helpers like a flock of sheep,
with Moses and Aaron as their shepherds.