Comfort in Time of Distressr

77 I cry aloud to God;

I cry aloud, and he hears me.

2 In times of trouble I pray to the Lord;

all night long I lift my hands in prayer,

but I cannot find comfort.

3 When I think of God, I sigh;

when I meditate, I feel discouraged.

4 He keeps me awake all night;

I am so worried that I cannot speak.

5 I think of days gone by

and remember years of long ago.

6 I spend the night in deep thought;s

I meditate, and this is what I ask myself:

7 “Will the Lord always reject us?

Will he never again be pleased with us?

8 Has he stopped loving us?

Does his promise no longer stand?

9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has anger taken the place of his compassion?”

10 Then I said, “What hurts me most is this—

that God is no longer powerful.”t

11 I will remember your great deeds, Lord;

I will recall the wonders you did in the past.

12 I will think about all that you have done;

I will meditate on all your mighty acts.

13 Everything you do, O God, is holy.

No god is as great as you.

14 You are the God who works miracles;

you showed your might among the nations.

15 By your power you saved your people,

the descendants of Jacob and of Joseph.

16 When the waters saw you, O God, they were afraid,

and the depths of the sea trembled.

17 The clouds poured down rain;

thunder crashed from the sky,

and lightning flashed in all directions.

18 The crash of your thunder rolled out,

and flashes of lightning lit up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

19 You walked through the waves;

you crossed the deep sea,

but your footprints could not be seen.

20 You led your people like a shepherd,

with Moses and Aaron in charge.