Psalms 77 · The Lantern

To the choirmaster. Upon Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm. My voice is to God, and I cry out; my voice is to God, and he gives ear to me.

In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord

In the day of my distress I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night and did not grow numb; my soul refused to be comforted.

Prayers are recited early in the morning so that the first movements of the soul and the mind may be consecrated to God and that we may take up no other consideration before we have been cheered and heartened by the thought of God, as it is written: "I remembered God and was delighted," and that the body may not busy itself with tasks before we have fulfilled the words "To you…

"In the day of tribulation I have sought out God" (ver. 2). Who art thou that doest this thing? In the day of thy tribulation take heed what thou seekest out.

In the second place, a saint's life must be pure, that is, everything must be done out of love for God, and not out of love for something else, since all love is suspect if it is not addressed to God. That is why Augustine — and also Bernard in a letter to a certain monk — write that the apostles' love for the bodily Christ prevented the coming of the Spirit.

I remember God and I am in turmoil; I complain, and my spirit grows faint. Selah.

You held the watches of my eyes; I was troubled and could not speak.

I considered days from of old, years of long ago.

I remember my music in the night; with my heart I muse, and my spirit searches.

Will the Lord reject forever, and never again be pleased?

Has his loyal love ceased forever? Has the word come to an end to generation and generation?

Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassions? Selah.

And I said, “This is my wounding — the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

Sufficient defence has been offered on these points, and as for that which Eunomius says by way of calumny against our doctrine, that "Christ was emptied to become Himself" there has been sufficient discussion in what has been said above, where he has been shown to be attributing to our doctrine his own blasphemy.

"And I said." Now leaping over himself he hath said what? "Now I have begun," when I had gone out even from myself. Here henceforth there is no danger: for even to remain in myself, was danger.

I cannot express in words, most excellent son, how much I am delighted with thy work and thy life. For on hearing of the power of a new miracle in our days, to wit that the whole nation of the Goths has through thy Excellency been brought over from the error of Arian heresy to the firmness of a right faith, one is disposed to exclaim with the prophet, "This is the change wrough…

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; indeed, I will remember your wonder from of old.

And I will murmur on all your work, and on your deeds I will muse.

God, your way is in holiness. Who is a great god like God?

You are the Mighty One who does wonder; you have made known your strength among the peoples.

You redeemed your people with an arm, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

The waters saw you, God; the waters saw you — they writhed; indeed, the deeps trembled.

"When our Lord had arrived and had entered the boat with Simon, the wind abated." The Arian, therefore, who contradicts the birth [of the Lord] is also rejected, through the word that those who were in the boat spoke, "They came and worshiped him, and they were saying to him, 'You are indeed the Son of God.' " It is he of whom it is written, "The waters saw you and trembled, an…

Your lightnings shone upon the world. Here what do you do, O Jew? Your way is in the sea, and your paths in many waters. Make even this to be said either of the sea or of the Jordan. And your footsteps shall not be known. This, according to the letter, how do you understand it?

And he continues how? "The waters have seen You, O God, and they have feared and the abysses have been troubled" [Psalm 77:16]. What are the waters? The peoples. What are these waters has been asked in the Apocalypse, [Revelation 17:15] the answer was, the peoples. There we find most clearly waters put by a figure for peoples.

The clouds poured out water; the skies gave a voice; indeed, your arrows went about.

The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

Your way was in the sea, and your paths in many waters, and your footprints were not known.

You led your people like a flock, by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Psalms77

In the Day of Trouble I Sought the Lord