Psalm 22

 1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

2My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, but I find no rest. ^b

3Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;

you are the one Israel praises. ^c

4In you our ancestors put their trust;

they trusted and you delivered them.

5To you they cried out and were saved;

in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by everyone, despised by the people.

7All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

8“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,

“let the Lord rescue him.

Let him deliver him,

since he delights in him.”

9Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.

10From birth I was cast on you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Do not be far from me,

for trouble is near

and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me;

strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13Roaring lions that tear their prey

open their mouths wide against me.

14I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart has turned to wax;

it has melted within me.

15My mouth ^d is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16Dogs surround me,

a pack of villains encircles me;

they pierce ^e my hands and my feet.

17All my bones are on display;

people stare and gloat over me.

18They divide my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.

19But you, Lord, do not be far from me.

You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

20Deliver me from the sword,

my precious life from the power of the dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;

save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

22I will declare your name to my people;

in the assembly I will praise you.

23You who fear the Lord, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised or scorned

the suffering of the afflicted one;

he has not hidden his face from him

but has listened to his cry for help.

25From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;

before those who fear you ^f I will fulfill my vows.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied;

those who seek the Lord will praise him—

may your hearts live forever!

27All the ends of the earth

will remember and turn to the Lord,

and all the families of the nations

will bow down before him,

28for dominion belongs to the Lord

and he rules over the nations.

29All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;

all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—

those who cannot keep themselves alive.

30Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about the Lord.

31They will proclaim his righteousness,

declaring to a people yet unborn:

He has done it!
*******************
Thoughts: I want us to concentrate today on this line, "Those who cannot keep themselves alive."  Who is that?  That is everyone!  None of us can keep ourselves alive.  Christians often point out this Psalm describes what Jesus was going through on the cross: the feeling of forsakenness, the mocking, the bones out of joint the heart like wax.  But in other ways- this is a reminder of our own death.  None of us can keep ourselves alive.  God rules over all the nations in at least this sense- all nations, all tribes, all families, all individuals will die.  This points out that all who go down to death will kneel before him- even the wealthiest, even the most powerful, even the poor, everyone.  No one can thwart God's purposes.  If we are with God, we will win with God.  
But this Psalm also is a praise of God for lifting us up when we are down.  Verse 24 says he does not despise the suffering of the afflicted.  Our suffering is not ignored by God. He is able and can heal us.  He is sometimes our only help.  I think about our run in with Covid from 2020-2022.  For at least one year, there were no real known meds and no vaccines and lots of guesses of what can hurt or help.  Issolation, masks and fear seemed to rule.  It hurt the world economy and for the first time since the 1940s things were missing from the common grocery shelf.  In such a time, God was and still is our only refuge. In the end, the immune system that God gave us worked well enough- to see us through- triggered in part by the vaccine.  But God is our strength.  
The Psalmist is also concerned about the missionary work.  The concern is that the future generations will be told about the Lord.  The concern is that in the future, the next generation will proclaim his goodness/righteousness.  That is that, God is right, and He is worthy of worship- and He has done it!  What did He do?  He accomplished His purposes.  He created all things.  Nothing that has been done could be done without Him.  Not "we have done it" but "He" has done it.  He is worthy of our praise- and that praise is worthy of being passed on- not being silenced or muffled out.  

Prayer: Lord, you have done it!  I face many crosses.  But your purposes are achieved.  Give me strength, O God, to be faithful to you in the crosses of life, and to proclaim to others your righteousness.  

6/13/13- When God or the Church or Prayer Don't Work

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from saving me,
    so far from my cries of anguish?
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
    by night, but I find no rest...
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
    you are the one Israel praises.
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
    they trusted and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried out and were saved;
    in you they trusted and were not put to shame...
  all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it! (Psalm 22) 

Thoughts: What happens when it appears that God doesn't work?  What happens if our worst fears come true?  Maybe we lose our health, our job, our friend, our spouse, our hopes and dreams.  What happens when all the prayers we prayed for so long do not come true?  What happens when the Church pours salt on the wounds and lets you down?  When our gold has been refined, we still have God.  When the "thorn" is still in us- torturing us- there is still a Comforter.
    Psalm 22 is often quoted as a Psalm of despair.  Indeed, even the New Testament writers quoted it and Jesus quoted it as referring to the ultimate torture- the crucifixion.  Christ quoted it on the cross, "MY God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"  There are times when we all go through the "dark night of the soul."  I have been through them many times.  Fear and evil reign; worry conquers common sense and trust in God.  Jesus faced such a time in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was alone, crying tears of blood and heartache saying, "Father if it is possible may this cup pass from me."  That is our cry- "take our thorn!"  "Help my loved one!"  "Ease this cross!"  
     God, prayer, and the Church are no magic lamp.  But often God shows us His care in the midst of the heartache. Perhaps it is a reprieve, or a small miracle, or some respite while we are in our heartache and body-ache.  But in the end- we are not God- and He is not our Jeannie-slave.  
     If I may boldly say so, even thinking of God "Not working" for me- is a sign of unfaith. For God does not exist or "work" for me- we are to exist and work for God.  I am not the center or the God of the universe.  Sometimes our limits- physically and spiritually teach us.  Sleep for example, teaches us every day that we have limits to our work and bodies. We have to let go of our day- our worries- our thoughts and trust.  We have to adjust to the realities of the universe. Sleep, weakness, not having all we want, pain, and human death- is a part of life.  However, the ultimate is not pain and death but eternal life and joy- hope fulfilled. There is a day when there are no more tears.
     The ultimate sign of love for God is when we can say, "Not my will, but thine be done."  Or when we can agree that "God's grace is sufficient- and His strength shines in our weakness."  Those who are faith-less cannot understand.  It makes no sense to trust God even when there are no grapes on the vine or no cattle in the pens (Habakkuk 3:17).  As our bodies learn to submit to their finitude in sleep, so our souls need to learn to submit to their finitude in facing the crosses and heartaches of life.  Christians submit to the crosses- sickness, economic hardship, heartache, even martyrdom knowing that there is a resurrection.  We are called to trust God despite our cross.  We are all eventually called to let go of this life- and its heartaches and hold on to God.  A bit like the flying trapeze artist lets go- believing their partner will catch them.  We indeed walk by faith- not by sight. 

Prayer: Help me to face my cross, my thorn, my sadness with faith and trust in you, O Lord.  Let me let go- and hold to you with all my might. 

Music to listen to: "There Will Be a day"  by Jeremy Camp