A Journey Through Lent – Day Fifteen
Day Fifteen – The Forsaken.
Psalm 22 is the first of a group of psalms that describe the suffering of an individual.
The first line of the psalm is familiar to us, as Jesus cried out these words when he was being crucified.
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”.
The psalm was, of course, written long before the events of that first Easter.
So whatever suffering it is that David is recounting, this psalm is also a prophetic description of the redemptive suffering of Jesus on the cross.
Even knowing what he was to face, Jesus, keeps a firm hold on to the truth: God is holy, God is his God, and God is trustworthy.
David, as he writes this psalm, appeals to God to stay close to him.
The psalm finishes with praise and triumph: “for he has done it.”
The messianic nature of the psalm becomes clear as David declares that past generations that have died as well as future generations not yet born will all come to know that God is a God who delivers his people from suffering.
So we can be confident that we never will be abandoned, even if, in our times of suffering, God seems far away or seems silent when we call out to him.
Bible Passage: – Psalm 22:1-11, 29-31 (NIV)
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say,
‘let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.’
Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
…….
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,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!
Contemplation Saying.
“He trusts in the Lord”
Contemplative Prayer.
Think of the saying in order to understand context and meaning,
Feel the meaning of the saying with and in your heart,
Pray, using the saying, for yourself or others. With only a name and without explaining the reasons or pre-defining any answers.
Listen for God’s voice in the quiet of your prayers.
Pray using your own prayers or one of those which have been prepared below.
Hymn: Singing the Faith 254 – “Seek ye first the kingdom of God”
Let us pray together.
Twitter Prayer
Help us to pray in our times of need, with utter confidence that you will hear our cry for aid.
Facebook Prayer
Help us to pray in our times of need, with utter confidence that you will hear our cry for aid.
We pray your blessing on all who today, will learn of your strong presence and your loving heart.
May we always remember that when we turn to you, we will always find you there. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Full Prayer
Loving God, we live in a world full of doubt.
A world which seeks to explain everything and deny anything which can not be explained.
Where trust and faith in you are often the source of derision.
We thank you for your presence in our lives which gives us the assurance that we can trust you in all things.
We thank you that we so often hear your quiet words of grace and mercy.
Gracious God, we glorify you that we will never be separated from you.
Strengthen our faith to truly believe this especially in our moments of testing and doubt.
Help us to pray in our times of need, with utter confidence that you will hear our cry for aid.
Help us to trust you to lift us from our doubts and fears which lead us to feel forsaken.
In those moments, help us to remember all of those times when we have felt your touch on our lives.
Help us to look forward to the things we know you will do for us in the future.
We praise you for the signs we see every day that you always come to any who are looking for you.
As we often sing. Knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find.
When we turn we know we will always find you there.
We pray your blessing on all who today, will learn of your strong presence and your loving heart which inspires our own trust in you.
May you always be praised on the earth. Amen
