Does it seem to you that a lot of the Psalms are cries to God for help?
It’s because they are! The psalmists live in an oppressive world. They are oppressed by their own sin, by the sins of others, by their circumstances, by their enemies, and yes, even by God.
Like the writer of Psalm 73, the author of Psalm 77 is about to give up hope. Sleepless, faint, depressed beyond words (note he is “too troubled to speak”) at his circumstances, he has begun to wonder if his life will ever reflect the “good old days.” He has repeatedly gone to God in prayer, and persistently, there is no light at the end of his tunnel. Though the writer gives no hint that He or his sin is responsible, nor does he hint that he is undeserving of his current state if it is punishment. What he wonders is: “will God never bless me again?”
With no relief in sight, how will he handle the present?
How would we?
He resolves that he will focus on what God has done in the past. There is a conflict there. What God has done is certainly not what He is doing. While that leaves the psalmist with hurt, it also leaves him with hope and with a challenge to God to resolve the contradiction.