The God Who Hears
By Sarah Ivill, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly 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 scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
Psalm 22:22-24 (NIV)
Today we will continue to recall times in our lives when our view of God has been too small. Perhaps in the midst of hardship, you forgot that the Lord is a Mighty Warrior on your behalf. Maybe depression blinded you to the truth that the Lord is your Shepherd. Or you may have chased your own glory instead of lifting high the name of Christ. Psalms 20-25 remind us to worship the Lord so that we can face difficulties with an eternal perspective. Today, we will focus on Psalm 22.
The Psalm begins:
My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
from the words of my groaning?” (v.1)
In the middle of the Psalm we read:
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles 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 (v. 16-18)
Then the Psalm closes with these words:
For kingship belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations…
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it (v. 28, 30-31)
In the first twenty-one verses of Psalm 22, we learn how to suffer in faith when we feel forsaken. There is no suffering so great as separation from God. This is exactly what hell will be like. Those who want nothing to do with God will have their desire fulfilled for eternity. But David was not an unbeliever. He wanted something to do with God and so feeling separated from Him seemed unbearable. Wisely, instead of turning toward inner turmoil, he turned toward truth. He knew God is holy and he knew of His covenant faithfulness to the previous generations. In his ongoing struggle with his circumstances, he was honest before the Lord. He recognized his enemies as the ferocious beasts they were, but he also recognized his eternal Creator, who had made him trust Him from birth, was far greater. Though he felt as if death would swallow him, he knew the One who could swallow death, and placed his confidence in Him, declaring “You have rescued me…!” (Psalm 22:21).
In the second half of the Psalm, we learn, in light of our salvation, how to sing by faith (Psalm 22:22-31). Suffering by faith always ends in singing. The lone sufferer doesn’t remain alone. He moves into the covenant community, declaring the name of the Lord to his brothers, praising Him, and calling others to praise Him too. He stands in the midst of them as a witness to God’s faithfulness, leading them to worship. The King of all the earth has a host of worshipers gathered round about Him. Both Jews and Gentiles, as well as those who are not yet born, will praise Him.
It is Jesus who tells of his Father’s name to His brothers, praising Him in the midst of the congregation, leading God’s people to worship Him. He has saved both Jews and Gentiles by making one new man through the cross (Eph. 2:14-16). Kingship belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ who has been given the nations as His inheritance (Psalm 2:7-8). Forsaken by the Father as He hung on the cross, He has accomplished our redemption. Yes, He has done it; it is finished.
What are we to do with such glorious news? First, we are to receive it by faith. Second, we are to respond in thanksgiving, as we worship Him, work for His glory, and witness to the nations concerning God’s great name. Notice that the sufferer doesn’t end with silence, but singing in the midst of the covenant community. This is how it should be. We don’t suffer alone. God’s people are to both weep and rejoice together. But our suffering will one day end, and we will sing a song to the Lamb in the new heaven and the new earth for all eternity.
PRAYER
Father, help us to receive the good news of our redemption by faith, and to respond in thanksgiving so that we might sing of Your greatness to the nations, as we await the day when we will sing perfectly to the Lamb in the new Jerusalem. Amen.
Are there other women in your life who could benefit from a daily dose of encouragement? Forward this email so they can click on this link to Subscribe to Daily Treasure to be better equipped to walk by faith on the pathway God has marked out for them.
Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.