I cry aloud to God,
cry aloud to God that he may hear me.
In the day of my distress I sought the Lord.
My hands were raised at night without ceasing;
my soul refused to be consoled.
I remembered my God and I groaned.
I pondered and my spirit fainted.
You withheld sleep from my eyes.
I was troubled, I could not speak.
I thought of the days of long ago
and remembered the years long past.
At night I mused within my heart.
I pondered and my spirit questioned.
“Will the Lord reject us for ever?
Will he show us his favour no more?
Has his love vanished for ever?
Has his promise come to an end?
Does God forget his mercy
or in anger withhold his compassion?”
I said: “This is what causes my grief;
that the way of the Most High has changed.”
I remember the deeds of the Lord,
I remember your wonders of old,
I muse on all your works
and ponder your mighty deeds.
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
You are the God who works wonders.
You showed your power among the peoples.
Your strong arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and trembled;
the depths were moved with terror.
The clouds poured down rain,
the skies sent forth their voice;
your arrows flashed to and fro.
Your thunder rolled round the sky,
your flashes lighted up the world.
The earth was moved and trembled
when your way led through the sea,
your path through the mighty waters
and no one saw your footprints.
You guided your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Reflection
How timely to have this Psalm, after a week of Devotional readings from Luke’s Gospel about the day of the disciples’ last Passover meal with Jesus: conversation anticipating betrayal and denial, tackling rivalry among the disciples, yet conferring major responsibilities on them; and then their tumultuous night on the Mount of Olives! It may also help you and others facing ‘the day of your distress’.
Jesus’s mind was in turmoil. He urged the disciples to pray, then withdrew to concentrate on his own prayer. You might imagine his thoughts running through Psalm 77, as you read it and visualise him there in the olive garden where he usually prayed, but that night expecting imminently the mockery, insults, whipping and killing he had spoken of to his twelve disciples (Luke 18:31-33).
Gelineau’s (the editor of the Grail Psalms) first two-line antiphon could be read again after each of his first three verses. Jesus may have sensed the first few lines of the psalm expressing his trembling emotions. His deep concern was not just for what he was facing, but for what might become of his disciples. Gelineau’s third verse may help us appreciate questions forming in Jesus’s mind: could they no longer depend on God?
In the fourth verse we see transition. His cause of profound grief is identified as feeling “that the way of the Most High has changed,” and then emphasis turns to past deeds of ‘the LORD’, ‘I am’, ever present. Gelineau’s concluding antiphon could be read after all the last four verses, remembering God’s power in events to redeem people, recalled during their Passover meal, given new meaning, with its fulfilment about to start.
Amid adulation with palms and hosannas in today’s worship, this is a salutary reminder how Jesus was also facing intense suffering and separation. What a blessing to have confidence in God restored!
Prayer
In our days of distress, Lord, please help us
to retrace moments and movements of your gracious love,
and to regain confidence in your presence and power.
Please strengthen us to face struggles and challenges ahead,
equip us for tasks and responsibilities, and good relationships,
and refresh our sense of purpose in the fulfilment of Christ’s mission.