Psalm 22:1-5 For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God,why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. O my God, I cry by day, but You do not answer; And by night, but I have no rest. Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed This is another “mountain” poem where the A-B-C-B-A pattern is used. But there’s another effect that’s pretty cool. Verse once asks why he was forsaken and why God seemed so far away, but verse five remembers God’s faithfulness in hearing the cries of his forefathers and delivering them. Verse two talks about how he cries all all the time, but verse four acknowledges that his forefathers trusted God and were delivered. They cried out, too, and were answered. Verse three is the pinnacle and proclaims the holiness of God, His sovereignty, His seperateness, His faithfulness. He is on the throne, which means He is in control of it all, even when I don’t understand it or see it or hear it. The first two verses are the the dark side of the mountain, where everything seems like it’s out of control and where it seems like I’m all alone. But at the top there’s a realization, or perhaps a rememberance, followed by a declaration that God is holy and in control. The final two verses are the sunny side of the mountain. By remembering God’s past faithfulness I am encouraged. I see how He rescued in the past and did not disappoint me in the past, and this gives me strength to keep moving forward. I think that’s pretty awesome!
With all the insanity going on recently, I received some encouragement from some friends. I post it here so that I remember it. “When I put my whole life in His hands, I do not erase the possibility of doubt. I simply refuse to accept it as real.” (Skip Moen) I love this! It’s like the little child with a monster under her bed or in his closet. :) Much of faith (perhaps all) is a choice I make to believe. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5.10) This verse was part of a longer post reminding me about the three men who were thrown into the furnace for refusing to worship the kind of Babylon. Even heated seven times hotter, the fire did not kill them – and the mysterious “fourth man” hung out with them in the midst of the flames. Silver is refined in a pot, but gold in the fire. Maybe God’s going for the gold. :) “I pictured the act of rolling out dough. I don’t know if you are familiar with southern cuisine……but I like to “roll” my own dough for chicken and pastry. I roll it very thin and it almost melts in your mouth. There is a certain point where, if rolled too thin, it falls apart. If you cook it too long, it also becomes mushy and the consistency is less than desired. May I say that the One who gives us Bread of Life is working in your life RIGHT NOW, and He will make sure everything is PERFECT FOR HIS GLORY!” This analogy is awesome (especially if you’ve had good old-fashioned southern biscuits)! God never rolls things too thin or cooks things for too long. He is the perfect chef! Now, if the chicken will just stay in the pot… One thing I’ve craved is community, and I find it interesting how much of that I find in these friends whom I’ve never met! Their openness and insight pours soothing balm over my life. We may live worlds apart (literally, since some are as far away as Australia!), but a common love and passion connects us. How incredible is that! I am SO blessed! Thank you Yeshua for Your love and for Your children!