(I apologize for how long this post is, hang in there with me.) Every morning I read my bible according the plan I am following on bible.com. Today's section came from Psalm 22. In previous years when I have read through the Psalms I have often glossed over them with little to no thought, believing them to be redundant, inapplicable, and repetitive. But the Psalm today struck me as I was able to relate to much of what David wrote about. As David began the Psalm with "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" two things were brought to mind: 1) Jesus' words as He died on the cross and 2) the unspoken words my heart has been asking of late. The remainder of the Psalm continues to parallel with my own thoughts and feelings that I have been trying to sort through lately as well as reminding me of Christ's own suffering and His ultimate victory. Below I have outlined a 'narrative' or 'commentary' of what I understand the Psalm to be saying in light of my current struggling. You can choose to follow along with these or just skip down to the Psalm I posted below. I hope that you are encouraged by the words that follow and are reminded of these truths: God has not forsaken you, your suffering is not in vain, and victory will be seen. God is good and you will make it through this.
God bless your reading,
Carissa
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken
Me?
Why
are you so far from saving me,
So far
from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer me,
By night,
but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
You are
the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
They trusted
and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
In you
they trusted and were not put to
Shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,
Scorned
by everyone, despised by the
People.
All who see me mock me;
They hurl
insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusted in the Lord,” they say,
“let
the Lord rescue him.
Let Him deliver him,
Since
he delights in Him.”
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
You made
me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
From my
mother’s womb you have
Been
my God.
Do not be far from me,
For
trouble is near
And there
is no one to help.
Many bulls surround me;
Strong
bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
Open their
mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
And all
my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
It has
melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
And my
tongue sticks to the roof of my
Mouth;
You lay
me in the dust of death.
Dogs surround me,
A pack
of villains encircles me;
They pierce
my hand and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
People
stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
And cast
lots for my garment.
But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You
are my strength; come quickly to
Help
me.
Deliver me from the sword,
My precious
life from the power of the
Dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of lions;
Save me
from the horns of the wild
Oxen.
I will declare your name to my people;
In
the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise Him!
All
you descendants of
Israel!
For 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.
From you comes the theme of my praise
In the great assembly;
Before
those who fear you I will fulfill
My
vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
Those
who seek the Lord will praise
Him—
May your
hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth
Will remember
and turn to the Lord,
And all the families of the nations
Will bow
down before Him,
For dominion belongs to the Lord
And He
rules over the nations.
All 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.
Posterity will serve Him;
Future
generations will be told about
The
Lord.
They will proclaim His righteousness
Declaring
to a people yet unborn:
He
has done it!
Commentary
"I cry out by day, but you do not answer me"-- I fervently pray for God to speak to me, to let me know He is there, but I find no clear answer.
"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One"-- Yet I will praise God despite what I am feeling, despite the mystery I have been left in.
"'He trusted in the Lord,' they say, 'let the Lord rescue him'"-- The words I imagine those around me thinking as I stand here unbeknownst, lost, and lacking in encouragement and love.
"Yet you brought me out of the womb"--Yet you have given me life for a reason, for a purpose. You have ransomed yourself for my life and loved me from the moment I was born.
"I am poured out like water"-- I have given all I have to love those around me and to love you, yet I feel so empty.
"They divide my clothes among them"--Jesus' death is brought to my mind. As the Son of God hung on a cross, the people He came to save stood below Him and gambled for His clothing. While my suffering is not an equivalent to death on a cross, I am comforted to know Jesus knows my suffering all the same. I am reminded of His suffering and am brought back to perspective.
"Do not be far from me"-- My plea for God to be near and help me through. My only joy, satisifaction, and purpose comes from Him.
"I will declare your name to my people...from you comes the theme of my praise"-- I will praise the Name of God for His deliverance. God will be the only reason for my praise for He is the only one who worthy of it.
"All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord"--The hope of the Lord's victory remains. Suffering will not last. Glory will be His.
"He has done it!" -- Christ has won and I will be okay.
