Wednesday

Psalm 22:22-31

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or disdained
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 will I fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they 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
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it.

Psalm 22 begins with David desperately crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But as David processes his despair throughout the Psalm, an amazing transformation happens. In verses 22-31, David resolves to praise God and even encourages others to praise God as well. How does this happen?

The turning point seems to be David’s remembrance that the Lord is good, gracious and sovereign. He recalls that God has listened to the cries of the afflicted in the past – it’s in His nature. So David proclaims that “the poor will eat and be satisfied.” God will bring this to pass because He’s in control and He’s good.

As we prepare our hearts during this season of Lent, let’s reflect on the Lord’s goodness and power, especially when we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. We can come to God with all of our despair and grief, and by His grace, He will comfort us. Jesus also wrestled with God, as, with David’s words, he cried out to his Father on the night he was betrayed. May we not hold back from these intimate times with our God, especially when we so desperately need Him.

J&JG