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 (NIV 1984, Psalm 22:24).
I wonder if David
wrote Psalm 20 before or after he wrote Psalm 22.
This psalm of David
betrays a time when his suffering was all but unbearable. He is confused why
God does not seem to be present, let alone come to his rescue. Verse 24 is the
resolution for the lament that begins, My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me? (v. 1). We know
that Jesus identified with this psalm as it provided a voice to his cry on the
cross: “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?” (NIV 1984, Matthew 27:46).
Loneliness is the
essence of suffering. When we are hurting to the depths of our soul, we cannot
help but feel like we are walking that path alone. And yet, even when it
appears God is deaf and blind, we can draw strength from the knowledge that he
hears and he sees.
It should be
remembered that David did make it through his time of suffering and loneliness.
His kingdom was established/restored [4]. And so did Jesus. The first rays of
sunlight on the third day revealed the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.
God is not unaware
of or unmoved by your suffering; it pierces his heart.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
During those times in your
life when it seemed God had abandoned you, how did things work out? Don’t give
up. Everything will be okay.
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