Psalm 77 – I Cried Out

May 27, 2025

Crying is one of the first forms of communication. Babies, in need of a bottle or a diaper change, will cry to alert their caregiver that something is amiss. They are not able to say exactly what is bothering them, but their cry is a signal that something is wrong. Sometimes we need to cry to God in the same way, as the psalmist does in Psalm 77 – I cried out.

Psalm 77

Psalm 77 begins with the psalmist crying out to God.

“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 I would not be comforted.

I remembered you, God, and I groaned; I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.” (1-3)

It appears that he was doing everything to get God’s attention, wearing himself out in the process.

He then struggled with himself, tossing and turning and thinking about the past.

^“You kept my eyes from closing; I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days, the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night. My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?
Can God have forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (4-9)

He thinks that God is angry with him, and that is why God isn’t helping him.

God and God’s Goodness

But then he reflects on God’s goodness in the past.

^“Then I thought, “To this I will appeal: the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
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.” (10-12)

Including the parting of the Red Sea:

“The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.” (16-19)

He concludes with an image of God as a shepherd leading his people.

^“You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (20)

When There Are No Words

Over the past few months, I’ve been able to spend time with my grandchildren. Right now, I’m enjoying time with a not quite three-year-old who is learning new words every day but still struggles to get his point across, and his 8-month-old brother, who has no words. He only has cries to let us know something is wrong and smiles to let us know he is happy. And that’s okay.

For all the words we have, we, humans, still struggle to communicate. We misunderstand, jump to wrong conclusions, and sometimes end up feeling like no one understands or cares.

The writer of Psalm 77 – I cried out, feels like God no longer cares. We don’t know what brought about this feeling. We just know that he is upset. A common human feeling.

Like babies crying desperately for bottles, thinking they have been abandoned when it has only been minutes and their parents are on their way with relief for their hunger, we cry to God. And that’s okay.

Sometimes there are no words. The psalmist used his words to reason and remember how God has helped God’s people in the past. This brought comfort to him, like sucking a thumb and rocking may comfort a baby. Words can help, but sometimes there are no words and we are left crying out to God in pain and anguish.