Psalm 22:6 “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.”

[Here David experiences powerlessness in rejection by those around him and turns to God for support. This foreshadows what Jesus experienced 1000 years later in a much greater way: rejected by his own people, betrayed by two of His disciples, abandoned by them all, and turned away from by His Father–yet trusting Him.]

Psalm 22:7 “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:”

[This is precisely what happened to Jesus, when those watching him suffer insulted him and even those crucified with Him mocked Him. Matthew 27:39 says, “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads….”]

Psalm 22:8 “He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

[Again, just what the Pharisees said to Jesus 1000 years later as recorded in Matthew 27:43, “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

They were insulting the Creator and Sustainer of all as He hung there on the cross. But you, Lord Jesus, saw the greater plan and chose not to defend or vindicate yourself to men at the wrong time by saving yourself then; instead you stayed on the cross to save them.]

And now you call us to follow your example, to trust in you as you trusted in your Father, to suffer with your strength the scorn of men, knowing that you will deliver us at the right time because you delight in us.

But your delivery comes not in ways that the world would expect, or that we might want, but in what you know to be best. We must persevere through the dark and cold days, like the days and years of my depressions in my teen years and early twenties, and the warmth of your salvation came to me at the right time. But that is another story, a long story for another  time.

Let us follow the example of Jesus and trust God in the dark, knowing that He is doing what is best. A door will open and let the light in.

Later we will see and understand: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!” Psalm 23

A Meditation on God’s Method: inviting us to join Him.

“He [God] is a shield to all those WHO TAKE REFUGE in him” (Ps 18:30) This verse is a clear statement of God’s desired way with us: partnership.

You, Lord, prepare all and then wait for us to respond. In this process, you alert us, call us to cooperation, show us multiple times what your will is, and then you wait.

When we obey and join you in what you are doing, you act again, taking us a step further. As the verse above proclaims, WHEN we take refuge in you, you shield us. It is not automatic; you require cooperation and wait for our response. This principle is all through Scripture.

You provided salvation; we must believe:

“…to all WHO RECEIVED him [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12

You give the Holy Spirit; we must surrender and ask to be filled: “BE FILLED with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18

You call us to stay in fellowship with you; we must decide to do so: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man REMAINS IN ME and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

You give direction in your Word; we must read and obey it:

“…the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but DOING IT—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25

Lord, help us to recognize these opportunities to partner with you and jump to it!

Picture: an example of partnering: a rock cooperating with a tree, which has grown to envelop the rock!

As we draw closer to God, the trajectory of our spiritual life starts to rise. And my life story tells you where it goes: upward and onward with Him into ever-increasing freedom, joy and usefulness.  During those years in Germany, the Lord has faithfully continued this upward trend of my life, bringing me into ever  new and more radiant levels of relationship with Him.

This ongoing growth flows, like all the other changes God has wrought in me, out of meditation. It is powerful to get the Word into my mind through memorizing, then to water it by praying it, and to turn on the light of deeper understanding by personalizing it. The insights that come, the understanding, the transformation of thought, feeling and desire are marvelous.

One great area of growth has been in understanding more of the love of God. Every day in putting on the armor of God, when I come to the belt of truth, I think first about what I actually deserve as a result of my sin in all its darkness: punishment, failure, suffering, death and eternal separation from God in Hell.

Then I add to this dark backdrop, the diamond of Truth, which says that in spite of what I deserve, the eternal holy God  chose me (and all others willing to believe) before the foundation of the world. He called me to Himself. He cleansed me, first forgiving, then washing away my sins and transforming me into a new creature. He claimed me as His son. He commissioned me to special service. He cherished me as if I were His only child.

Then I turn the spotlight of His grace to shine on this diamond of Truth, bringing out further sparkeling aspects of His love: I now stand before Him dearly loved, deeply cared for, doted on and delighted in.  I bask in the reality of His grace, letting myself feel the wonder of total acceptance, the security of utter approval, the joy of unending love.

As I stand in this beam of grace, reveling without a pause in the light of such unconditional, rich, never-ending love, I am transformed a bit more each day.

There is a solidification of my sense of security. There is a severing of my sinful fear of others’ thoughts and values. There is a shift in my thoughts and feelings towards myself: an acceptance of self based on Christ’s acceptance of me; a lowering of self criticalness along with a rise in my desire to please Him. I experience a rest from the disturbing desire to “measure up” to others standards by being right. There is growth in the peace and joy that comes from knowing God, as opposed to performing well.

All this frees me to love others around me more, to forgive more easily, to quickly overlook offenses, to be gracious, patient and positive.

It allows me to be a carrier of “Sonshine” to others; to have believing faith for them when theirs isn’t enough, to encourage others in thankfulness, to look at the positives in their lives, rather than being distracted by the negatives.

It makes me more realistic, less idealistic. It brings a delight in being weak, confidence in God’s doing what is best, peace in the midst of uncertainty, and joy, even when I don’t get what I want.

It stimulates the flow of creativity and the ability to see what is good in hardship. It gives acuity to see and claim truth when I am accused with vague, negative generalizations.

Psalm 22:4 “In you our fathers put their trust;”

[Throughout the history of Israel Abraham and Moses, Job and Joseph, David and Daniel, and many others trusted you in the midst of their trials, challenges and suffering.]

“they trusted and you delivered them.”

[They turned to you and were saved in and through their difficulties. This verse describes what you desire: a partnership with your children. You prepare things, then call us to trust, and when we do, you act. Without our joining you in trust, we hamper your giving us answers. As it says in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace, AS YOU TRUST in him so that your lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Without that trust, joy and peace and hope won’t flow.]

Psalm 22:5 “They cried to you and were saved;”

[Trust is demonstrated by crying out to you first, not seeking answers elsewhere. If we trust in ourselves, or others, or circumstances, or luck, or culture (as Abraham did in producing a son by his own cleverness instead of waiting for God’s timing), God sits back and waits, allowing us to suffer the consequences of our poor decisions so that we might come to ourselves and turn to Him in trust (as Abraham did when God called him to sacrifice Isaac).]

“in you they trusted and were not disappointed.”

[You, the faithful One, always come through in the right way and at the right time, which is often very different from how and when we would like you to do it.

Psalm 22:1b “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?’

[This is how David felt: he received no immediate answer to his prayer, had no sense of God’s presence, no visible support, no help, no guidance. For David, this was a feeling, but it was not the truth. This was also true for Jesus on the cross: when He became sin for us, You, Father, turned your back on him, you were far from Him. You did not save Him from this suffering, because you Three had a greater plan.

So it is with us, as it was with my wife Barbara in her depression, you send us through that suffering because you have a bigger, wider plan than our being comfortable, a plan which will accomplish much more and in a better way than what we desire.

You gave us the pattern for this in the life of Job, who, suffering seemingly senseless loss, but was actually playing a huge role in the cosmic battle and in bringing future comfort to millions across the millennia.

Psalm 22:2 “O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and you are silent.”

[There are times when our prayers seem to go no further than the ceiling. These times are the of testing of our faith, a call to rest in the certainty of the Lord’s goodness when there is no visible sign of it.

Jesus demonstrated this kind of faith on the cross and in His descent into death. Becoming sin for us, He was far from you, Lord, but, in the midst of His separation He also trusted you fully, following through with your plan.

Glory be to you for your great wisdom and your persistence in carrying out your perfect plans. Help us to walk in faith, embracing those times of your silence, trusting you to act when the time is right.]

Pic: Barb in Depression