THE JOURNEY TO PRAISE

 

OCTOBER 20, 2023

 

PSALMS 22

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

Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

2Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.

Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.

3Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel.

4Our ancestors trusted in you,

and you rescued them.

5They cried out to you and were saved.

They trusted in you and were never disgraced.

6But I am a worm and not a man.

I am scorned and despised by all!

7Everyone who sees me mocks me.

They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

8“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?

Then let the Lord save him!

If the Lord loves him so much,

let the Lord rescue him!”

9Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb

and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.

10I was thrust into your arms at my birth.

You have been my God from the moment I was born.

11Do not stay so far from me,

for trouble is near,

and no one else can help me.

12My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;

fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

13Like lions they open their jaws against me,

roaring and tearing into their prey.

14My life is poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint.

My heart is like wax,

melting within me.

15My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.

My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.

16My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;

an evil gang closes in on me.

They have pierced my hands and feet.

17I can count all my bones.

My enemies stare at me and gloat.

18They divide my garments among themselves

and throw dice for my clothing.

19O Lord, do not stay far away!

You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!

20Save me from the sword;

spare my precious life from these dogs.

21Snatch me from the lion’s jaws

and from the horns of these wild oxen.

22I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.

I will praise you among your assembled people.

23Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!

Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!

Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.

He has not turned his back on them,

but has listened to their cries for help.

25I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.

26The poor will eat and be satisfied.

All who seek the Lord will praise him.

Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

27The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.

All the families of the nations will bow down before him.

28For royal power belongs to the Lord.

He rules all the nations.

29Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.

Bow before him, all who are mortal,

all whose lives will end as dust.

30Our children will also serve him.

Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.

31His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.

They will hear about everything he has done.

 

 

 

Psalms 22 sounds like the words of a person who feel they need restoration desperately need in their life. In this Psalm we encounter King David crying out to God to draw near to him in this desperate moment. We see David in an anxious state, trying to hear from God in his desperate moment. We all face such moments in our lives too when we are not able to handle the uncertainty in our lives and we focus so much on it that we are filled with fear, worry, and apprehension about the outcome.

One of the desperate and anxious moments of Jesus was at the cross when he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” There was a moment in history when Jesus felt, God-forsaken. But Jesus also knew there is a resurrection after the crucifixion. Death was not the end of the story of Jesus but the restoration of mankind through the resurrection of Christ was the plan of God all the time.  

One of the things that I observe about David is that in his moments of desperation, he still has this understanding of who God is, and this knowledge helps him exchange his desperate moment for a moment of worship. Psalms 22: 22 and 23, David prepares himself to declare the praises of the Lord in any given circumstances and he is not afraid to worship Him when and wherever he can. “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!” That’s striking, isn’t It? The poem began with My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”

In our lives, somewhere along the way, in those desperate events we can lose our heart for worship. Have you found that? Most Jesus followers have those times where our heart for worship just isn’t there, bible reading, prayer, community worship becomes hard work, and difficult to participate in. This Psalm show us the difficult journey from desperation to worship, but David get there and remembers who God is, and what God has done, and he stands ready to declare praise and show reverence to God.

I wonder if for some of us it is a time to move from a dark, and desperate place, by making space for renewal, and the restoration of our worship through the help of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps today or over the weekend you will add some time to dwell in God’s presence and worship him in “spirit and truth.”

 

LET US PRAY

Lord, I pray that you will restore my heart of worship today.

There have been so many times I have allowed my worldly worries and situation set the tone of my worship, but today help me to change that, and may my worship set the tone of my response to the situational problems of my life. As David says, the Kingdom is yours and you rule over all, come and reign over my life in Jesus name, Amen.