Psalm Friday

God is still Holy and to be Praised
Psalm Friday

Psalm 22, continued

Before we embark on our journey today I would ask that you begin this time with prayer. Ask God to give you an open heart and mind to learn new truths from His Word. Read Psalm 22 through three times. Record any thoughts or questions you have in your journal. If a verse stands out to you, write it on an index card and begin committing it to memory.

Today, as we once again look upon the cross of Calvary, keep in mind that Psalm 22 has a heavy Messianic tone to it. Contained within this Psalm are numerous prophecies that were fulfilled at Calvary as our Savior hung on the cross. Last time we beheld the pain Christ experienced as He hung on the cross during that ninth hour; the pain of abandonment and hopelessness only the shoulders of the King could carry because it was the result of the outpouring of the divine wrath of God upon Him as the sin-bearer for every man, woman, boy, and girl that would every walk on this earth. From the depths of His heart, Christ roared like a lion to the very throne room of heaven, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Today, in the midst of the pain and the grief Christ felt on the cross, we will see Him praise His Father in heaven.

“O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season,
and am not silent." Psalm 22:2, NKJV

These verses bring to mind the times Christ rose early in the morning and went off by Himself to pray to the Father. Scripture doesn’t record for us those prayers, but I wonder if He cried out for God to save Him from what was to come as He did that night in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and
prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me;
nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Luke 22:41-42, NKJV

As Christ hung on the cross do you think He replayed all those times in His mind when He cried out to God for this time not to come? Do you think He questioned why God hadn’t heard Him and allowed this cup to pass Him by? Do you think He wished for something greater, something less painful? Did He blame God because He was hanging on a cross beaten and battered and unrecognizable to His own mother? No, my friend, I don’t think any of these thoughts or questions ran through His mind as He hung there all alone.

In the midst of the greatest storm of His life, we can witness Jesus Christ praising His heavenly Father and trusting that His will was best.

“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in
You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were
delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.”
Psalm 22:3-5, NKJV

Jesus Christ had faith in God Almighty to rescue Him from this storm. He had hope in the One who sat on the throne of heaven. He knew His prayers would be answered in the way that was best to fulfill the plan that God had set in motion before the foundation of the world.

I have come against some trials in my life lately and have found myself crying out to God wondering where He was and when He was going to answer. Through these verses I have been reminded that whether or not I get the answer I want in the time frame that I thought it should come, God is still holy and to be praised. Praised because He does hear the cries of His children. Praised because He does see the tears fall from my eyes. Praised because He is El Shaddai, God Almighty; the One who knows all things and holds me in the palm of His hand.

Praise Him today knowing that He will answer you in His time and in His way because His plan is far better than anything we could ever imagine.