In Days of Despair, Remember the Days of Glory

Psalm 77 is a complaint to God by Asaph who is crying out in distress. At night the psalmist can’t sleep; because of the trouble he can’t even speak (77:4). It appears the distress is more than the crisis of an individual, but is instead the oppression of the whole community.

Asaph compares the present silence of the Lord with the Lords interaction with Israel in the past. Asaph contrasts the Lord’s apparent abandonment of his people with the better days of old “when the Most High stretched out his right hand” to help. Those were the days when the Lord worked miracles and did mighty deeds (77:10-12). But, now God’s promises have failed, God has forgotten to be merciful and, because the Lord is angry, he has withheld his compassion. (77:7-9)

In this state of darkness and confusion all the psalmists can turn to is the recorded memory of God’s past manifestations of goodness and mercy. There is no hope of understanding the current misery. Anticipation of a sure deliverance is not available.

Asaph’s only hope now is to focus on remembering Truth and recalling the Lord’s works of mercy and deliverance in the past. This psalmist will:

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds!” - Psalm 77:11-12

Preincarnate
State of Christ
Christ existed as the eternal Son of God in the Old Testament:

“Then I said, ‘Here I am, I have come – it is written about me in the scroll.’ ” Psalm 40:7

And, in the New Testament:

“Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: . . . ‘Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll – I have come to do your will, O God.’
” Hebrews 10:5-7

The Old Testament records the eternal son being installed as the Messiah, or Christ, on earth in Psalm 2:6-12

The Son and the Incarnation are also mentioned in:
Proverbs 30:4
Isaiah 7:14
Isaiah 9:6