Friday, September 26, 2008

Psalm 21 & Psalm 22

from Sept. 12, 2008

Psalms 21 is a Psalm of praise. The first part praises God for what He has done. The second part praises Him for what He is going to do.

Verse 7 popped out at me and I kept being drawn back to it:

"For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken."

Psalm 22:1 is quoted by Jesus on the cross... "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me."

This Psalm and others like it intrigue me. The Psalmist is despairing - he feels God is not there - desperate - being destroyed. Why would God include these in the Bible? Because there will be times in our lives when we feel this way Even though we know that God is ALWAYS there, at times He chooses not to reveal Himself to us. I believe it is a testing of our faith - a time of growth for us.

The Psalmist does seem to have a Hab. 3:19 moment - after listing all his woes (God is big enough to take it), he chooses to praise the Lord - to declare His name and He does. That's the goal. It is totally ok to pour out all our fears, frustration, concerns, etc. to God, but we want to do so in a way that encourages us to look at who He is and not stay focused on our circumstances. It's Matthew 11:28 - Giving Him our burdens and letting Him carry them.

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