July 30–Despair to Victory

Happy Tuesday to you. Monday was a much better day for the guppies—not one death! Total disaster to success. That’s often the way of things in our lives. This week, our sermon was on the crucifixion of Jesus and when we got to “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me,” I was intrigued with the thought of Jesus reciting the Psalm. 


As Jesus grew up, he read and memorized the Old Testament. He recited the prayers, sang the hymns, and memorized the poems. These are the bedtime stories He grew up hearing. He revered every jot and tittle of all the Hebrew scripture. It is no wonder then, as what was left of His body was hanging on that cross, He recited the first part of David’s 22nd Psalm. 


“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?...Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, “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!”...My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!...My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax, melting within me. My 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.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:1, 7-8, 12, 14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬


This Psalm, that can be seen as prophetic, was David’s heart on that day. He felt as though he was all alone and that he’d been abandoned by God. And what Christian hasn’t felt that at some point? John Calvin said that believers can feel that way everyday! And don’t you appreciate the fact that our Savior, in the very worst possible human place, modeled the behavior for us? 


If we make it through the first half, we realize the Psalm didn’t stop with all the sadness, but it turns the corner and begins to remember who God is and what He has done. 


This hymn takes us to first suffering and then glory. We can also see something of a pattern for the church as well as for Our individual lives. The pattern is this: The real and inescapable problems of life in this fallen and broken world lead us to prayer. Prayer should lead us to remembering and meditation on the promises of God, (both those fulfilled in the past and those that we trust will be fulfilled in the future). I think that when we remember the promises of God, we will praise Him as we should. As we praise Him, we can face with grace and faith the problems that come into our lives every day. Jesus made it through the first half so we could have the second half. Despair to Victory. 


Dear Jesus, thank you for showing us that when we suffer, we need to pray. And that when times are bad, we can rest assured that our God is still God and He still cares very much for us. Help us to always remember that those problems we face in this broken world need to be faced with prayer. And it’s at those times when we can remind ourselves of your faithfulness and your goodness. We love you and praise you for all you have done for us and for your great grace of which you so freely bless us. Hallelujah for the Lamb. Amen and amen. 


Love you dear one,

Pam

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