I find God to be so amazing! He is such an intricate part of our lives, and so intuned to us, and yet we often miss his special little nuances.
Imagine my surprise and joy when my pastor taught much of his sermon yesterday around Psalm 22 and the prophecy it contains. The Psalm was written by David, who probably didn’t know what his own desperate personal cry for help was going to become.
Psalm 22:1-5 NLT “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Isreal.
Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.
They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted you and were never disgraced.”
First, the cry of distress! Haven’t we all been on the silent, waiting side of our prayers? The days and nights we cry out to God for relief and yet none seem to arrive!
The panic, the fear, the need; ‘Where are you, Lord, are you even listening?’ our minds and spirits cry! He’s where he always is, with us and working on our behalf even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Remember, this is when we need to use our faith muscle. The muscle that reminds us of all the times the Lord has been there and delivered us from our trials in the past and to trust he will do the same today and tomorrow!
Hebrews 13:8 NLT “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
We see David doing just this! He cries to the Lord from his heart, asking God where he is, stating he isn’t hearing or feeling much from above, all the while reminding himself of God’s faithfulness in the past. His rescue of those who trusted in him who were never disgraced! Solid testimony of our God!
But…
Here is the amazing thing about the Bible, it is alive, it is the living word of God. Fast forward 1,000 years, and Jesus is hanging on the cross! 😔
Matthew 27:45-46 NLT “At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ which means ‘My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?”
Once again, we see the Old Testament align with the New Testament. Prophecy spoken in the Old, being lived out and respoken in the New! Again, solid testimony of our God!
If you are in a place we found David in; praying but with no relief remind yourself of who God truly is, has been in your past, and carry that peace into today. Your solid testimony of our God!
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your words of love reminding us of who you are, what you are, and have always been. I hold up to you today those who are scared, lonely, without, and in need of a quiet hug and message from your spirit to their hearts. Thank you, Lord, for your grace, favor, and mercy every day! We turn to you with hope, never to be disappointed or disgraced. In your glorious name Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen
Sunshine On My Shoulder 