Psalm 22 - Peace in Your Time of Sheltering

Peace in Your Time of Sheltering

Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? 

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 

3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 

4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 

5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. 

7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; 

8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” 

9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.

10 On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. 

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. 

12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 

13 they open wide their mouths at me, like 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 my breast; 

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 

16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— 

17 I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; 

18 they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 

19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 

20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 

21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

22 I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 

23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 

24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him. 

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. 

26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! 

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 

28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 

29 All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. 

30 Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; 

31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.

 

Psalm 22 has been a favorite of the Christian church from the beginning. Jesus spoke the beginning of the Psalm when hanging on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" People around Him thought He was crying out for Elijah because "My God" in Hebrew is "Eloi." Jesus felt forsaken in that moment because God would not come to His rescue because that was the moment Jesus came to earth for, to die for the sins of the world. 

Later in this Psalm David says, "a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet—  I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." Clearly foretelling the events of the crucifixion. But it also shows us a glimpse of the suffering Jesus went through for us. 

Now, in America, actually, throughout the world, people are almost being forced to suffer for their neighbors. We shelter in place to slow the spread of the virus. We choose to do this more for others than for ourselves. We could cry out like Jesus asking God why He is doing this to our world. We could complain that the government is making us give up the life we have known. We could be frustrated and find someone to point the finger at and blame them for what is going on. But that will not bring any help. Judging others never brings good to their life or to the life of the one judging. 

David's response is one of praise and trust, "Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame." I encourage you to take the same tactic David did. 

First, remember God is holy. Whatever He chooses to do in this life is good. We cannot see from the perspective of God, we do not have the benefit of seeing all of time at once, knowing the future and how the present will make the future better. We are limited in our understanding. But God is not. He is all-knowing and He is all powerful. He has everything under His control. And if He allows a virus like this to exist and to spread as it is spreading, He must have a reason that we can trust even if we do not understand. 

Second, God is enthroned on the praises of His people. It could be simply stated, "If you wish to be close to God, sing His praises." If you don't like your singing voice, then listen to hymns or praise songs. Most TVs and computers these days can get you in contact with Christian music, turn it on and hum along. Think about the words, give the praise to Jesus, and become aware of His presence. Learn to recognize that Jesus is with you, feel Him close, and let Him bring you comfort and peace in this time of turmoil. 

Third, the past vindicates God. David remembers that his fathers, going back to Abraham, trusted in God and were not disappointed. "In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame." You have that past experience as well. You have prayed, trusted, hoped, and waited. God has not disappointed you and He will not disappoint in the future. 

How long we have to wait, what will happen in the meantime, these are questions I have no answers for. But I do have the confidence that Jesus is right here with us, that He wishes to reassure us, that He does have the world in His hands, and He will bring His best to our lives and the lives of those we love. 

Paul mentioned in one of his letters that to go and be with Jesus is "much, more, better." In the Greek language, using comparatives and superlatives together just emphasizes the greatness of the statement. We would say in English, "much greater." But the phrase Paul uses in the Greek is like saying more than, "most greatest." To be with Jesus is the ultimate goal. Some might get there sooner than they planned with this virus, but what a glorious sight that will be, to see Jesus face to face. In His time. 

While we have the time to shelter in place, let's not just clean out our closets, or watch the news, but let's take more time than normal to develop our faith in a Holy God, our trust and praise of Him, and our recollection of the many blessings He has poured out upon us in the past. With these three thoughts David found peace and contentment when the bulls of Basham were surrounding him. 

May you find that same peace in your time of sheltering. 

- Pastor Edd