Psalm 77 is a beautiful picture of a heart moved from despair to renewed faith through the power of meditation. Don Whitney defines meditation as "deep thinking on the truths and spiritual realities revealed in Scripture for the purposes of understanding, application, and prayer."
The Psalmist paints a picture of utter desolation in the Psalm 77:1-9. He feels abandoned by God, distressed, and inconsolable. He is groaning under the burden of unanswered prayer; he is left without words.
Yet in verse 10, we see a transition take place. He appears to awaken from his myopic self-focus, and shift his gaze toward God. As he does, his spirits begin to rise. Hope returns as his faith is renewed. He offers us a threefold path to follow: remember, meditate, and consider. The terms are closely related, but help us to see the progression of thought. It begins with igniting the memory, then moves on to deep thought about the subject, and concludes with applying those thoughts in reasonable ways.
Asaph focuses his attention on three things: the holy nature of God, God's power, and God's role as Redeemer. Psalm 77:16-19, describes the world under the scrutiny of Asaph' God. God's awesome presence makes earth and sea quake in fear, yet he tenderly leads his people like a shepherd with his flock.
Psalm 77:19 offers us a gentle reminder, "Your path led through the sea, you way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen." In other words, God guides his people through difficult passages, even when they don't realize it. Asaph leaves us with a simple but profound truth, we can keep trusting in God's continued faithfulness.
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