“Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.” – Psalm 77:13-14 (ESV)
I often find it easy to read a sampling of verses like this from a psalm and assume the whole thing is a praise hymn. But that is definitely not the case with Asaph’s poem here.
He begins it by saying something in verse 3 that might make us modern Christians do a double take. He says that when he remembered God, he moans. When he meditated, his spirit would faint. Clearly, Asaph is experiencing such deep pain and grief that just thinking about God is a struggle. The rest of the first half of this psalm lays out a man who is questioning God. “Are you done with your people? Has your steadfast love come to an end? Have you, O God, forgotten how to be gracious?”
In answer to his own questions, Asaph decides to remember the old stories of Israel, specifically how Yahweh rescued and redeemed his people from Egypt. Those people cried out to God, too, as they were enslaved by a ruthless man in Pharaoh who actually thought it was good to throw Israelite baby boys into the Nile River to drown them. God responded with overwhelming power and authority over Egypt’s king, Egypt’s gods, Egypt’s sin. He delivered his people Israel, whom he called his firstborn son. Asaph poetically captures the scene at the Red Sea in verses 19-20: “Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”
Someone once wrote, “If you want someone to know the truth, tell them. If you want someone to love the truth, tell them a story.” In Asaph’s deepest darkness, he recalled Israel’s story and loved the truth it brought to him. He proclaims that truth in our Fighter Verses this week. The truth is that God’s way is holy and set apart from all others. Unlike the pagan stories with a pantheon of gods that could rule over each other at any given point, Israel’s God reigns supreme; no other spiritual being compares to his greatness. How could a group of enslaved farmers and workers escape the strongest military power in that area of the world? Because this God works wonders. He didn’t keep those wonders hidden; he made his might known among all the peoples.
We all wrestle with our own stories. There are moments that the darkness is too dark, and perhaps we question if this God we follow truly cares or even exists. In those moments, let us remember the story of the Scriptures and love the truth it tells. We have a redeemer in Jesus Christ who overpowered the darkness and the powers of this world by laying down his life and rising again. He is the Wonder of wonders. His might was made known through what appeared to be weakness in his death, but earth-shaking power in his resurrection. Sin, death, and darkness have been exposed for the liars and cheats they are and one day, they will be no more in the great coming of the crucified and risen King Jesus.
What god is great like our God?