In The Word
Read: Psalm 22:1-21
For the music director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?
Far from my help are the words of my groaning.
2 My God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer;
And by night, but I have no rest.
3 Yet You are holy,
You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.
4 In You our fathers trusted;
They trusted and You rescued them.
5 To You they cried out and they fled to safety;
In You they trusted and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm and not a person,
A disgrace of mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me deride me;
They sneer, they shake their heads, saying,
8 “Turn him over to the Lord; let Him save him;
Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”
9 Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;
You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon You from birth;
You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near;
For there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open their mouths wide at me,
As a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery,
And my tongue clings to my jaws;
And You lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
18 They divide my garments among them,
And they cast lots for my clothing.
19 But You, Lord, do not be far away;
You who are my help, hurry to my assistance.
20 Save my soul from the sword,
My only life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth;
From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In this passage of Scripture, David gave us a vivid description of the suffering the Messiah would endure hundreds of years later. Verses 1 and 2 bring to light that Yeshua never stopped praying and believing in God for deliverance. Many times, discomfort drags many believers away from God and His promises. They do not want to endure pain. Psalms 22:3-5 shows us that Jesus never forgot how holy God was; He still remembered what God had done before and that gave Him hope for the future.
Many times you may feel what Christ felt, you feel rejected by your loved ones. You may feel like there is no hope for tomorrow, and you shout for help but no one reaches out for you. You may feel like all hope is lost to the point of giving up on life and taking your own life or surrendering to drugs. The good news is we have Jesus who was a man of sorrows and was familiar with suffering (Isaiah 53:3b); He demonstrated to us how to deal with suffering and rejection. There is no pain He doesn’t know and no situation He wouldn’t turn around for good (Romans 8:28).
In the midst of the storm and suffering, when everyone parts from you like the Red Sea, remember Jesus is besides you. He can be your hiding-place in times of troubles. He has plans to prosper you, not to harm you (Jeremiah 29:11). Do not be afraid; never lose hope, and keep believing for greater things. Your better days are yet to come.